16 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



other interesting things, the history of fire-making was shewn, 

 from the fire drills to the present day lucifer match. The 

 report of the committee on lead glazes used in pottery has 

 been presented and shews that there is a great unwillingness 

 to discontinue their use, and also that the evil results to the 

 workmen are comparatively slight in factories where certain 

 rules are properly observed, but that these rules are not kept 

 in many potteries, with consequent immense increase of 

 serious disease. The secret of the black enamel of ancient 

 Greek pottery has been lost, but it has lately been found 

 that finely divided iron in the coating gives a similar effect. 



ENGINEERING. 



Though the aeroplane can hardly be said to have reached 

 a useful stage, yet it continues to develope, and the record is 

 often broken by longer flights. Flights have been made from 

 London to Manchester, 186 miles, with one stop, from 

 Dover across the Channel and back again without a stop ; over 

 the Alps by the Simplon Pass, 6,600 feet high, to Italy ; from 

 Paris to Pau, about 500 miles : a,nd others. But the dangers 

 to life and limb are very great, and there have been many fatal 

 accidents. The last feat has been the carrying in an aeroplane 

 of no less than 12 passengers, the total weight being l,4391b. ! 

 It has been proposed to found a school of aviation in England, 

 where few facilities for instruction have hitherto existed. It 

 is interesting to notice that the cost of maintaining our English 

 roads is something like double the amount per mile of that of 

 French ones, which are managed by a central body of experts. 

 The centralisation and scientific administration save half the 

 expense, which is becoming yearly larger and larger. Our 

 former member and V.P., Dr. Vaughan Cornish, gives a full 

 account of the Panama Canal, now progressing towards 

 completion, which is expected to take place on January 1st, 

 1915. The transit of a ship will take about 12 hours for the 



