410 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Dec. 



facturing industry and wealth. All this centres at Birmingham, 

 where the solid material of iron is made the basis whereon is built 

 a vast variety of workmanship, in all sorts of implements and 

 ornaments. 



Birmingham itself is rather at the outskirts of the proper 

 black country, on the red sandstone and conglomerate which overlie 

 the coal field. The environs of the town, in consequence, are in 

 some parts very beautiful, and adorned with numerous seats of 

 the wealthy citizens, whose hospitality was extended most liberally 

 to the members of the British Association. Birmingham is not 

 only a great seat of many interesting manufactures, but is in the 

 very heart of England, and in the midst of a network of railways 

 so complicated as almost to puzzle the stranger desirous of visiting 

 it. It has besides some excellent public edifices, well adapted 

 to the meetings of a scientific parliament, more especially its 

 new Town Hall, and the buildings of the Midland Institute 

 and of King Edward's School. Hence the British Association 

 has thrice met at Birmingham, and the success of its last 

 meeting may well induce it to meet there again, should it have 

 opportunity. 



The British Association has now attained the mature age of 

 thirty-five years. Its initial meeting at York assembled mainly 

 through the instrumentality of Prof. Phillips ; and this eminent 

 geologist, who also presided at the Birmingham meeting, has, as 

 Secretary of the Association, been its most active promoter during 

 its whole existence. At a luncheon given to the members by the 

 Mayor of Birmingham, Sir Roderick Murchison, who calls himself 

 one of the ' Palaeozoic members,' thus alluded to its origin : 



"In the year 1831, when he was President of the Geological 

 Society of London, his young friend of that day, one John Phillips 

 of York — with whom and his distinguished uncle, the father of 

 English geology, he had previously worked along the coasts of 

 Yorkshire — wrote to him in London, encouraging him to promul- 

 gate a proposition which he had, by direction of that most eminent 

 man, William Harcourt, sent up for their consideration. He 

 endeavored to the best of his ability to carry out the wishes of 

 his friend, but what was the result ? He could get scarcely any- 

 body to hear of the matter when he first laid it before them, 

 and he could get none to accompany him save his friend 

 Mr. Greenhow, of the Geological Society, and the late Mr. John 

 Taylor. = But though London did not respond, Manchester 



