224 THE ASSOCIATION 



at this time, upon which the Parliamentary Com- 

 mittee remarks : 



6 We anticipate an important accession to our 

 scientific knowledge from the expedition to the 

 Zambezi River, which was sanctioned [by the Govern- 

 ment], and sent out under the able conduct of the 

 enterprising and distinguished Livingstone, for this 

 expedition was well supplied with the necessary 

 instruments properly tested at Kew, and comprises 

 those who are fully competent to use them.' 



The Parliamentary Committee refers to the 

 ' proposed severance from the British Museum of its 

 Natural History Collections, ... we know of no 

 measure which might be adopted by the Government 

 or Legislature, which would inflict a deeper injury to 

 science ' : but no official action by the Association 

 appears in this connexion. 



1858-59. Active measures were in progress in 

 this year for extending the magnetic observations 

 in which the Association's interest had been mani- 

 fested almost since its foundation, and the Prince 

 Consort (President of the Association, 1859-60) 

 allowed his personal interest in the matter to be 

 invoked. 



To lovers of the Alps, but especially to scientific 

 mountaineers, it is of interest to find the Association 

 making application ' to the Sardinian authorities 

 for obtaining additional facilities to scientific men 

 for pursuing their researches on the summits of the 

 Alps.' It was ascertained that ' new regulations on 

 the subject of the guides, at Chamounix ' were being 

 prepared, ' based upon a principle of wider liberty 

 of action,' and a name famous in Alpine history 



