No. ej.] president's address b. a. a. s. 349 



frequeutly urged against the electric light, that it depends upon 

 the continuous motion of steam or gas engines, which are liable 

 to accidental stoppage, has been removed by the introduction 

 into practical use of the secondary battery ; this, although not 

 embodying a new conception, has lately been greatly improved 

 in power and constancy by Plante, Faure, Volckmar, Sellon, and 

 others, and promises to accomplish for electricy what the gas- 

 holder has done for the supply of gas, and the accumulator for 

 hydraulic transmission of power. 



It can no longer be a matter of reasonable doubt, therefore, 

 that electric light will take its place as a public illuminant, and 

 that even should its cost be found greater than that of gas, it 

 will be preferred for lighting drawing-rooms, theatres and con- 

 cert-rooms, museums, churches, warehouses, show-rooms, printing 

 establishments and factories, and also the cabins and engine-rooms 

 of passenger steamers. Tn the cheaper and more powerful form 

 of the arc light, it has proved itself superior to any other illu- 

 minant for spreading artificial daylight over the large areas of 

 harbors, railway stations, and the sites of public works. When 

 placed within a holophote the electric lamp has already become 

 auxiliary iu eifecting military operations both by sea and land. 



The electric light may be worked by natural sources of 

 power, such as waterfalls, the tidal wave, or the wind, and it is 

 conceivable that these may be utilised at considerable distances 

 by means of metallic conductors. Some five years ago I called 

 attention to the vastness of those sources of energy, and the 

 facility offered by electric conduction in rendering them available 

 for lighting and power-supply, while Sir William Thomson made 

 this important matter the subject of his admirable address to 

 Section A last year at York, and dealt with it in an exhaustive 

 manner. 



The advantaoes of the electric light and of the distribution 

 of power by electricity have lately been recognised by the British 

 Government, who have just passed a Bill through Parliament 

 to facilitate the establishment of electric conductors in towns, 

 subject to certain regulating clauses to protect the interests of 

 the public and of local authorities. Assuming the cost of 

 electric light to be practically the same as gas, the preference 

 for one or other will in each application be decided upon grounds 

 of relative convenience, but I venture to think that gas-lighting 

 will hold its own as the poor man's friend. 



