82 Meetings of the Scientific Association of Great Britain. 
Mr. Rumker of Hamburgh with an ephemeris of the track of the 
comet of 1682 and 1759, whose return is expected at the end of this 
year ; various remarks were made upon comets by Profs. Robinson, 
Whewell and Hamilton. 
10. Dr. Lardner, by request, explained the principle of Mr. Bab- 
bages celebrated calculating machine, as for as it could be done with- 
out models or the machine itself. 
11. Dr. Buckland delivered a very animated and instructive lec- 
ture on fossil amphibia and fishes. We understand from a friend 
who was present, an American Lady—that the lecture was illustrated 
by drawings of the Saurians, &c. and that Dr. Buckland is not less 
distinguished for his scientific attainments, than for his brilliancy and 
felicity of language. 
12. Dr. Abercrombie, after stating his very great satisfaction at 
the meeting, expressed the sentiment, that ‘ those who have made 
the greatest attainments in true science will be first to acknowledge 
their own insignificance, when viewed in relation to that omnipotent 
one who guides the planets in their courses and maintains the com- 
plicated movements of ten thousand suns and ten thousand systems 
in undeviating harmony ; he was satisfied that infidelity and irreligion 
are the offspring of ignorance and presumption, and that the boldest 
researches of science, if conducted in the spirit of true philosophy, 
must lead us to new discoveries of the power and wisdom and _har- 
mony and beauty, which pervade the works of him who is eternal.” 
Prof. Sedgwick echoed the sentiments of Dr. Abercombie, that the 
pursuits of science, instead of leading to infidelity have a contrary ten- 
dency—that they tend rather to strengthen religious principle and 
to confirm moral conduct. 
Sept. 18. We have omitted to repeat what was mentioned, in 
the beginning of this abstract that, on the different evenings, reports 
were made of the doings of the various sections. 
The concluding meeting was held at 2 o’clock P. M. in the splen- 
did hall of the library of the University ; there was a great rush for 
admission and at 3 o’clock the hall was filled. The President Sir 
Thomas M. Brisbane, announced that invitations for the next meet- 
ing had been received from the Bristol Institution, from the Lit. and 
Phil. Soc. of Liverpool, from the Roy. Irish Acad. the Roy. 
Dublin Soc. and the Univ. of Dublin and that the committee had 
agreeed to adjourn the association to Dublin to meet on the 10th of 
August aura = ~~ v. Harcourt stated that £830 of the funds 
ted, for the promotion of research- 
atl ii 
