1S45. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL 



231 



magnetic storms or distuiliances, the first of which ohserved to be simulta- 

 neous was noticed by Graham and a Swedisli philosopher, and so far as they 

 could then judge, the times of oscillation seemed simullaneons. Afterwards 

 similar coincident distnrhances were noticed at I'aris and Stockholm, and it 

 was always perceived that these great disturbances were occasioned by, or at 

 least accompanied with, an exhibition of the Aurora liorealis. This peculia- 

 rity had been fully contirmed by the observations at Greenwich, it having ap- 

 peared that in all extraordinary oscillations of the needle, an Aurora liorealis 

 was either visible there, or at no very great distance. The ueedles for these 

 nice determinations of magnetic force were suspended by two threads of un- 

 ipun silk, and not on the olil construction of being supported on a pin ; by 

 this method friction was hardly possible to interrupt the full play of the needle 

 to any sensible amount The magnets in common use, at present in the mag- 

 netic observatories, were from 2 to 4 feet long; but a German philosopher 

 was now using a " pigmy" magnet of only an inch in length, and found it 

 much more powerful than the longer kind, owing to the greater facility of 

 thoroughly hardening so small a piece of steel. Mr. Airy thought these 

 " pigmy" magnets wonid ultimately take |)Iace of larger ones. Mr. Airy con- 

 cluded his long and deeply interesting lecture by a hope that ere long one of 

 the swings of the needle should be thoroughly compared : the observations of 

 this particular swing being collected from all the magnetic observatories now 

 in existence ; then we might hope for some knowledge on this obscure 

 science. 



In reccrding tli;it portion of tlifi annual hiliours of tlif' Britisli Asso- 

 ciation wliich bears more immediately on tlie interests of practical art, 

 we cannot coneliule our report without an observation or two on the re- 

 sults exhibited. An annual meeting for the express purpose of ad- 

 vancing science might fairly be expected to obtain the entire concur- 

 rence of public respect. A society bearing on its nuister-roU the 

 names of the Astronomer Royal, Jl. Boutigny, Dr. Buckland, SirWjl- 

 ]iam Hamilton, Dr. Peacock, Baden I'owell, Prof. Pryine, Sir George 

 Rennie, Professors Sedgwick and Wlieatstone, Sec, ought, one would 

 suppose, to have authority almost supreme in the matters of which it 

 takes cognizance ; and yet it will seem an incomprehensible mystery 

 to the succeeding generation, that this society has been mnre ridiculed 

 and more abused than any other learned society in England. The 

 national feeling for some reason or another is directly against Peripa- 

 tetic philosophy. On the continent, indeed, the si^ances of ambulatory 

 savants are reported in the public journals with all the gravity with 

 wliich journalists usually record wliat they do not undeistand. But 

 the English people have the idea that men of science ought not to be 

 feted, ought not to chapenai ladies at flower-shows, ought not to wear 

 white kid gloves and polished French boots, ought not to travel from 

 town to town with their boxes of models and diagrams and specimens 

 like licensed philosophic hawkers. No one can fancy Newton doing 

 anything of the kind, nor Euler, nor Des Cartes. Tjie old philoso- 

 phers were not itinerants. The results of their labours were not dis- 

 played to " fashionable audiences," they did not dispute before 

 " ladies in full tvening dresses." Their discoveries were the result 

 of patient midnight labours; of quiet undisturbed reflection; long 

 painful night-vvatcliings, and secret toil in solitary chambers. The 

 fruits of their industry appeared before the world in scientific 

 "memoirs" and "transactions," in public letters, or in academical 

 theses; but tlie excitement and noise of a "fashionable audience" 

 were deemed altogether inconsistent with the successful pursuit of 

 science. We scarcely know why this feeling, which seemed obviously 

 just in days of yore, should be false now. The vehicles for commu- 

 nicating scientific discoveries in the form of memoirs are surely as 

 accessible, and more accessible than ever. We see in the transactions 

 of the British Association this year much that is valuable and more 

 that is interesting, but we see notliing which might not have been pub- 

 lished to the whole world without the expense and trouble of a meet- 

 ing like the present. Ridicule is always disagreeable, but when it 

 falls upon those who are really greatest of modern philosopliers it 

 becomes a positive public injury. It is folly, if no worse, to alfecl, as 

 some do, to treat these great men with ridicule. Contempt aimed 

 at such men as Sir William Hamilton and Professor Airy nmst ne- 

 cessarily be reflected back upon tlie puny assailants. But still there 

 roust be some real tangible cause of complaint when the sneer is con- 

 stantly reiterated, and the dissatisfaction universal. Were that cause 

 removed, there is little doubt that the respect, which Englishmen 

 usually p;iy to men of science, would be liberally bestowed upon the 

 British Association ; and they who bear oflice in it would advance not 

 only their own dignity but the interests of science itself, bv devoting a 

 portion of their time to investigate the causes of the present public 

 dissatisfaction and consider the n.eans of removing it. 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 

 JuT\e 9. — H. E. Kendall, V.P., in the Chair. 



A paper was read, illustrated by models, explanatory of an " Improre'cl 

 Mode (if Ventilation of Buildings, Ships, ^c.," invented by Mr. J. Kite. The 

 plan is likewise adapted for the prevention or cure of smoky chimneys, for 

 which purpose it has been successfully applied. The improvement consists 

 in the employment of what Mr. Lite denominates " a deflecting roof, or 

 cowl," consisting of a number of Louvres or deflectors, arranged in a peculiar 

 manner at certain angles fined on the ridge of a roof or on the shaft of a 

 chimney, instead of an ordinary chimney-put; which, by presenting their 

 oblique surfaces to the action of the wind or external air, a continuous cur- 

 rent is produced across the roof or covfl, which occasions a strong upward 

 draft, whereby the vitiated air of a crowded apartment or church may be 

 rapidly drawn olf, or the passage of smoke up a flue greatly facilitated, with- 

 out the employment of any mechanical arrangements that require to be kept 

 in constant motion, and consequently soon worn out, or the necessity for the 

 application of any costly prime-moving power. 



A portfolio of sketches made in India and Egypt by J. II. Pillau, Esq., and 

 some drawings of Indian Monuments, forwarded by General Montcitli, were 

 exhibited. 



THH ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ARTS. 



The Society met in the Saloon, 91, Prince's Street, on Monday May 12, 

 1S45, the President in the chair. 

 The following communications were made ; — 



1. At the request of the Council, an Exposition of Geology, in its applica- 

 tion to the Useful Arts, was given by Alexander Ross, Esq. This exposi- 

 tion formed the second part of the address, the first on Mineralogy, hav- 

 ing been delivered at a former meeting. On this occasion, he limited himself 

 to the geological phenomena which might lead to the discovery of the useful 

 metals, briefly describing the formations in which they occur, and the pecu- 

 liarity of the circumstances which might tend to their detection. 



2. Additional commrmication on the Pkotorjrnphic Register Thermometer. 

 By MoNGO I'oNTON, Esq., F.R.S.E. The instrument was exhibited, with 

 Time-Piece and other mechanical adaptations attached. The author described 

 the method by which the clock was made to turn the cylinder, carrying the 

 jiaper for the" purpose of Registration ; also a peculiar plan for raising and 

 lowering, at the proper intervals of time, the gas flame, bj which the regis- 

 tration is produced, the flame being maintained at its full height for five 

 minutes every, half-hour, — a period sulKcient to impress the image of the 

 mercurial column on the paper — and then lowered to a mete point. He 

 farther discribed a method by which the registering cylinder might be moved 

 by the clock at a considerable distance, a thread being the only connecting 

 link between them, so that the thermometer might be placed outside of the 

 window, while the clock and gas flame remained inside. He farther stated 

 that, by proper arrangement, the same clock might be made to register the 

 indications both of a barometer and a thermometer, or even of a barometer 

 and two thermometers, one placed in the sun, the other in the shade. 



3. Additional Notice of Mr. K. Bryson's Self-Registering Barometer, with 

 remarks, showing that no Correction for Temperature will be necessary in 

 this Instrument. By Alex. Bryson, Esq., V.P.— lie exhibited an accurate 

 method of determining the expansion of mercury from increased temperature 

 in the standard barometer ; and demonstrated that the syphon barometer, 

 used as a self-registering instrument (as formerly described to the Society), 

 and ohserved by the shorter limb of the syphon, requires only a correction 

 of 0-OOG inches for CO degrees Fahrenheit. Mr. Bryson also described the 

 results obtained from his hourly barometric register kept during two years, 

 and remarked the extreme similarity existing between these and the obser- 

 vations of Professor Forbes during three years at Colinton. 



4. Description and Drawing of a Compress for c/ieching Ilirmorrhage fol- 

 lowing the extraction of a Tooth. By \V. A. Roberts, M.D. — The ditiiculty 

 of arresting alveolar hsemorrhagc, or continued bleeding from the sockets, 

 after the extraction of a tooth, which in some instances has terminated 

 fatally, led Dr. Roberts to turn bis attention to the subject, lie expects by 

 the aid of his compress, one being adajitcd for the upper jaw, the other for 

 the lower, to be able to apply the necessary pressure upon the bleeding ves- 

 sel, doing away with the tteirig up of the head with bandages, iVc. He effects 

 this by means of a small padded bolster, so arranged as to communicate, by 

 means' of a moveable bar or rod, with a small stopper fitted on the end of 

 the bar, and which can be placed in any position in the mouth, and secured 

 there by means of small regulating screws, the bolster externally, and the 

 stopper internally, forming the antagonist pressure ; the expected advantages 

 being a continuous and uniform pressure, with httle annoyance to the pa- 

 tient. 



5. Mr. Alexander Bain, the patentee, exhibited and described his Eleclro- 

 Magnctic Telegraph. — One of the varieties of this telegraph was exhibited in 

 action. This was stated to be by far the simplest of the electric telegraphs 

 wliich have been invented. It acts by means of a single wire, and can be 

 laid down at the rate of about 50/. per mile, besides the telegraph apparatus, 

 which will cost about 12/. for each station. When any signal is given, it is 



