382 THE ADDRESSES, LECTURES, ETC., OF 



station, and as regards the cost of electric lighting. They all 

 knew that he was not one to set himself up as infallible, and that 

 no one was more ready to acknowledge, if he were proved to be 

 wrong, that someone else was in the right, and that things were better 

 than he had thought. But even supposing Dr. Siemens were 

 right, and that it was not possible to deal with larger areas than 

 he had suggested, or at less cost, yet he had shown that, by an 

 outlay of capital which appeared about two to one as compared to 

 an equal amount of illumination by means of gas, after allowing 

 5 per cent, on this double capital, and depreciation on a large 

 portion of it which on the copper conductors and matters of 

 that kind would be very small indeed there could be delivered to 

 the consumer the incandescent light, at a price of 22s. as com- 

 pared with gas at 29s. All Avho had studied the matter would say 

 that it would not have been an unfair comparison if Dr. Siemens 

 had taken as his standard not gas-light, but the light of luxury 

 which they used in their own houses. Many of them Avould not 

 have gas-light in their sitting-rooms, and resorted to wax candles 

 or lamps, or something of the kind, the cost of which was con- 

 siderably in excess of what he had mentioned. He was quite 

 certain, therefore, that there would be a large and increasing 

 demand, on the part of persons living in well-appointed private 

 houses, for a light free from the various objections which apper- 

 tained to lighting by gas, good as that undoubtedly was, compared 

 with anything which preceded it. However, he would not go 

 further into details which led him away from the true subject 

 before the meeting, which was simply to pass a vote of thanks to 

 Dr. Siemens. He was sure all must feel it was a happy thing for 

 the society that on this, its 128th anniversary, they had a chair- 

 man in every way competent to guide the council in the develop- 

 ment of the objects of the society, viz., the promotion of arts, 

 manufactures, and commerce in this country. 



Lord Alfred Churchill begged leave to second most heartily the 

 vote of thanks which had been so ably moved, and to add his 

 testimony to what Sir Frederick Bramwell had said, 'as to their 

 very fortunate position in being able to secure the services of 

 Dr. Siemens for the current year. The admirable address he had 

 given them, dealt principally with electric lighting ; but he did 

 not think there was anything in it which need cause those inte- 



