154 The Rigid Hon. Lord Montagu of Beaidieu [April 3, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, April 3, 1908. 



His Geace the Duke of Northumberland, K.G. P.C. D.O.L. 

 F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



The PtiGHT Hon. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, D.L. Y.D. J.P. etc. 



VICE-PRESIDENT, ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB ; EDITOR OF THE ' CAR.' 



2Vie Modern Motor Car and Us Effects. 



The evolution of the modern motor car has been proceeding- for 

 thirteen years past, and although much progress has been made, 

 mechanically speaking, in the machine of to-day, excellent as it is, it is 

 far from being perfect. Another decade will probably see still more 

 progress made in simplification, efficiency, and increased cheapness in 

 operation. 



Historically speaking, it is not altogether correct to say that the 

 motor car only commenced its career in 1895, for from 1820 to 

 1835, steam carriages ran every day on the highways of this country, 

 carrying passengers, goods, and mails, and if it had not been for the 

 opposition of the horse-breeders and owners of that time, and the 

 commencement of the railway era in 1886-40, both roads and road 

 mechanical locomotion would have been in a few years a long way 

 ahead of the rest of the world to an extent which would probably 

 have retarded the development of railed as against free-wheeled loco- 

 motion for some time. But between 1840 and 1895, a period of 

 fifty-five years, no attempt was made to use mechanical power for any 

 kind of road traction, except in connection with what are called 

 traction engines and steam rollers. This in itself is a cm'ious fact 

 when one considers the great progress that w^as made during those 

 years in adapting the power of steam and explosive engines in 

 thousands of useful ways for the use of mankind. Nor was the 

 adaptation of the internal combustion engine in connection with 

 heavy self-propelled vehicles coincident with any particular new 

 invention, for the so-called Otto •' cycle " and Gottlieb Daimler, the 

 inventor of the modern vertical explosive engine, had been before 

 the world many years anterior to 1895, and thousands of gas en- 

 gines, working on the same principle as in the modern petrol engine, 

 were operated all over the country quite successfully. The fact was 

 that ill-advised and restrictive legislation against mechanical loco- 

 motion on the roads was the chief bar to further progress, and the 



