i894. NOTES FROM THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 225 



Maxim's Flying Machine. 



Although artificial flying is a problem to be settled by enginee rs 

 rather than by zoologists, it is a subject which always must have a 

 special fascination for zoologists. It was therefore natural that a 

 number of zoologists should have deserted to the mechanical section 

 to hear Mr. Maxim. 



The subject of his paper is of fascinating interest, and the 

 accounts of his experiments, which have extended over some years, 

 were also exceedingly interesting. As might be expected from a man 

 of Mr. Maxim's inventive genius, something has come out. The first 

 is a steam engine of hitherto unrivalled lightness compared to the 

 enormous power it can develop, and a system of aeroplanes which, 

 as the author claims, has enabled him to be the first to fly — not for 

 long, it is true, but that is, after all, only a question of time. The 

 question of landing safely has not yet been solved, and there seems 

 to be some difficulty, as the machine ceases to maintain itself at any- 

 thing under thirty-five miles an hour. 



While Mr. Maxim has not yet got a perfect flying machine, he 

 certainly has advanced considerably towards the solution of the 

 problem ; though it may be questioned whether he has, in using the 

 system of aeroplanes, hit on the best plan, that is if one of the con- 

 ditions is that the flying machine has to be used for warlike purposes, 

 and not for rapid transit. Perhaps something of the kind suggested 

 by Lord Kelvin is more likely to effect this object. 



Lord Kelvin and Lord Rayleigh had both ridden on the machine, 

 and expressed themselves highly pleased with the extremely skilful 

 way in which Mr. Maxim had overcome the various difficulties the 

 condition of lightness in everything had imposed upon him. Mr. 

 Langley, a notice of whose recent publication, on "The Internal Work 

 of the Wind," appears on our next page, sounded a note of warning 

 about the liability of the machine to turn, which, coming from such 

 an authority, must not be disregarded. 



Many other points of interest were raised at the meeting, which 

 we have not space to discuss. We hope to recur to some of them on 

 a future occasion. 



