Z PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



of a circular letter, dated July 12, 1831, to the Presidents and 

 Secretaries of all the Scientific Institutions in the United King- 

 dom and known to the Committee, asking them to give a general 

 invitation to all the membei's of the Societies to join the Associa- 

 tion and attend the first meeting at York. At this time there 

 were 39 Scientific Societies, 13 in London and 26 in other parts 

 of the Kingdom. As indicating how very comprehensive was the 

 invitation issued by the promoters of the Association, I quote its 

 last paragraph, which reads : — " All persons interested in scientific 

 .pursuits are admissable to the meeting." The meeting was 

 accordingly held in the hall of the Philosophical Society of 

 Yorkshire on Tuesday, September 27, 1831. Three hundred and 

 fifty-three persons attended, including most of the scientific men of 

 the United Kingdom, and it was thereupon decided to form an 

 association, and that it should be called " The British Association 

 for the Advancement of Science," the objects of which shall be to 

 give a stronger impulse and a more systematic direction to 

 scientific inquiry ; to promote the intercourse of tliose who culti- 

 vate science in difterent parts of the British Empire with one 

 anothei', and with foi'eign 2:)hilosophers ; and to obtain a greater 

 degree of national attention to the objects of science, and a 

 removal of any disadvantages of a public nature which impede its 

 progress. Sucli was the fii'st stage in the history of the British 

 Association ; the foundation had been laid, and it was broad 

 enough to support the imperishable structure tliat has been raised 

 upon it. It was a conception worthy of Sir David Brewster, and 

 has done more for the advancement of pure and applied science 

 than any other institution in the United Kingdom. It has won 

 the confidence of Governments, vv^ho have adopted and acted 

 upon the recommendations of the Association, and regulai'ly 

 placed in its keeping sums of money for the promotion of 

 science. How the work has been cai'ried out, and what has 

 been done, I cannot pretend to tell you now. It is the story 

 of the advance of science in all the sciences duiing the last 

 57 years, and would occupy at least tlie rest of this week. I 

 regret my inability to condense the story into the limits of this 

 address, for I can conceive of no stronger incentive to the foi-ma- 

 tion of a similar Association here than the history of what has 

 been done for science by the disinterested labours of those who 

 from time to time have formed the working members of the 

 British Association. If one turns over the back volumes published 

 by them, they are full of invaluable reports upon almost every 

 subject. The mere list of titles makes a volume'. Is there 

 any scientific subject that needs investigation by a number 

 of persons ; a committee is at once formed, men found willing 

 to take a share in the work that in some cases lasts for yeai's ; 

 they have but to ask and hundreds of men all over the 

 kingdom will give willing help. For instance, underground 



