SJJt WILLIAM SIEMENS, f.R.S. 383 



rested in gas companies any trepidation. Gas was so essential for 

 heating and cooking purposes, that there was no fear of its falling 

 into disuse. 



The motion having been carried unanimously, 



DR. SIEMENS thanked the meeting very heartily for the kind 

 manner in which the address had been received, and Sir F. Bram- 

 wcll and Lord A. Churchill for the way in which they had spoken 

 of it. He had endeavoured to trace out generally the conditions 

 under which electricity and gas could be most advantageously dis- 

 tributed for practical purposes at the present time, and although 

 he quite agreed with Sir F. Bramwell that conditions might arise 

 which would alter to some extent the principles upon which he 

 argued, yet there were principles of a certain class which were 

 exceedingly stubborn, and not easily moved out of the way. You 

 never could get more than 20s. for a pound ; and if one saw 

 statements to the effect that for a given expenditure of power 

 more light could be produced than was theoretically represented 

 in luminous energy, one had a right to doubt such statements. 

 He believed the true progress of the new illuminant would be 

 better ensured by frankly bringing to the front the limits and the 

 cost within which certain effects could be produced, and this he 

 had endeavoured to do. The room that evening was lighted from 

 a machine driven by a gas engine, and this would account for any 

 slight variation which might have been noticed in the light. Gas 

 engines, no doubt, would have a great future, but they must be 

 materially improved, especially in regard to uniformity of action, 

 before they could be used for the purpose of electric lighting to 

 the extent one would wish. 



