160 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [| Ave. 
Capt. 8. B. Miles, Bombay 8. C., Asst. Pol. Agent, Quader, 
Makrén, proposed by L. Schwendler, Esq., seconded by Col. 
J. F. Tennant. 3 
Henry Buckle, Esq., Asst. Commissioner, British Burma, pro- 
posed by Dr. T, Oldham, seconded by Dr. F. Stoliczka. 
The following papers were read— 
I, Somr REMARKS ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INERTIA 
anp Trvg, by W. E. Ayrton, Ksa., 
The following was written not on account of its actual novelty, 
but because the ideas contained in it will probably be new to the 
majority of those present, 
Of all the properties of matter inertia is, I think, the one least 
understood by the general reader. With weight, hardness, friction, 
elasticity, &c. he is perfectly familiar, but that matter possesses 
another property as important as any one of those I have men- 
tioned never seems to present itself to him. If you ask an 
ordinary practical man why it is difficult to set a massive fly-wheel 
in motion, he will probably say on account of the weight and 
friction. The friction certainly does in a small degree prevent 
motion being given, but this can toa great extent be overcome 
by the bearings of the fly-wheel being well made. 
And not only is it difficult to set a massive fly-wheel in motion, 
but it is difficult to stop such a wheel when in motion. This 
certainly is not caused by friction, since the friction would itself 
tend to stop the motion. 
The weight too cannot in the least prevent motion being given 
to, or taken away from, a well balanced wheel, since the action of 
the earth on each side of the wheel is exactly the same. 
There is, therefore, another property that matter possesses—its 
inability to change its own state of rest or motion. This property 
which is called inertia is best defined by Newton’s law “ Every 
body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight 
line, except in so far as it may be compelled by impressed forces 
to change that state.” Now, by uniform motion we mean moving 
through equal spaces in equal times, or rather we should say, we 
call those times equal during which a body unacted upon by any 
