ON THE ITALIAN EXHIBITS. 195 



copied what existed in another. But he has also shown that in recent 

 times invention has proceeded so fast that there has been no necessity 

 to continue the use of those old instruments. He himself has acquired 

 a transit circle designed by the late Mr. Carrington, and has continued 

 that very important series of star observations- which his predecessor 

 commenced. He has also alluded to the first reflecting telescope of 

 Newton. I had recently to allude to the four-foot reflecting telescope 

 made by Messrs. Grubb, of Dublin, mounted equatorially, and I may 

 say that I recollect when first a four-foot equatorial was spoken of, it 

 was thought to be impossible to mount it on a polar axis, and a con- 

 trivance to guide such telescope temporarily in the diurnal path was 

 proposed. We are very much obliged to Mr. Main for having alluded 

 to the older form of instruments in this interesting historical account 

 which he has given. 



The PRESIDENT : Professor Eccher now wishes to address a few 

 words to the meeting in addition to what he said on a former occasion, 

 with reference to the instruments from Italy. 



Professor DE ECCHER : Your celebrated Faraday, in a letter to his 

 mother, giving an account of his journey on the Continent, thus 

 expresses himself with regard to Florence : " Florence, too, was not 

 destitute of its attractions for me, and in the Academy del Cimento, 

 and the Museum attached to it, is contained an inexhaustible fund of 

 entertainment and improvement ; indeed, during the whole journey, 

 new and instructive things have been continually presented to me. Tell 

 B. I have crossed the Alps and the Apennines ; I have been at the Jardin 

 des Plantes, at the Museum arranged by Buffon, at the Louvre, among 

 the chefs-d'oeuvre of sculpture and the masterpieces of painting, at the 

 Luxembourg Palace, among Rubens' works ; that I have seen a GLOW- 

 WORM ! ! ! waterspouts, a torpedo, the Museum of the Accademia del 

 Cimento, as well as St. Peter's, and some of the antiquities here, and 

 a vast variety of things far too numerous to enumerate." 



And those among you who have visited Florence can bear witness 

 to the great number of celebrated scientific instruments which that 

 city is fortunate enough to possess. It was, I can assure you, no easy 

 task to choose trom the midst of such abundance, a few objects only, 

 to bring to this Exhibition. All are worthy of such a distinction. 

 But it having been decided that the selection should be- of Italian 



