THE ADDRESSES, LECTURES, ETC., OF 



our Society for the coming Session by addressing you on some of 

 the questions which interest members at the present time. The 

 Society of Arts continues to progress in its sphere of usefulness. 

 * * * * * 



In addressing you at the commencement of last Session, I dwelt 

 upon the conditions under which electric lighting could be intro- 

 duced into public use, calling attention more particularly to the 

 great difficulty and cost that must attend every attempt to light a 

 large populous district from one power centre, as was contemplated 

 by many at that time, but insisting on its advantages over every 

 other source of illumination, under conditions favourable to its 

 application. The extended use of the electric light which has 

 taken place within the last twelve years appears to bear out these 

 conclusions. No centres of illumination upon a gigantic scale 

 have been carried into effect ; but, on the other hand, undoubted 

 progress has been made in the introduction of electric lighting 

 into railway stations, public halls, theatres, docks, warehouses, and 

 factories, and, to some extent at least, into domestic dwellings 

 from relatively small sources of supply. One hundred and six 

 applications for provisional orders have been received by the 

 Board of Trade, being 99 for England, 8 for Scotland, and 1 for 

 Ireland. Of these 25 related to London and the suburbs, and 

 23 were promoted by local authorities. Sixty-nine orders have 

 been granted as the result of the presentation to Parliament 

 of 1 1 Bills, but up to the present time not one of these has been 

 carried out. 



When we look back upon the sanguine expectations entertained 

 a twelvemonth ago regarding the rapid and universal introduction 

 of electric lighting in substitution for other sources of illumina- 

 tion, and consider the numerous companies that were called into 

 existence with the object of effecting large applications according 

 to special patented improvements of superlative merit, a feeling of 

 disappointment is natural, when we find how little those expecta- 

 tions have been realised. 



Notwithstanding these apparently negative results, I am of 

 opinion that much real progress has been effected in the interval 

 of time that has elapsed since I addressed you this time last year 

 If sanguine expectations regarding particular forms of dynamo- 

 machines or electric lamps have been disappointed, we have gained 



