NA TURK 



409 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1883 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIA TION 



SOUTHPORT has been selected for the meeting of 

 this body in 1883, and the fifty-third annual session 

 will commence on the 19th and end on the 27th of 

 September. It is not necessary to dilate upon the various 

 reasons which led up to this arrangement. Suffice it to say, 

 that there was strong opposition on the part of consider- 

 able University and manufacturing cities ; and the success 

 of Southport may, no doubt, be in great part attributed to 

 the enterprise and business zeal which, within two genera- 

 tions, have raised it from a seaside village to a populous, 

 well-built, easily accessible corporate borough. 



To many people, perhaps the majority, in the southern 

 counties, Southport is a name, and nothing more. It is 

 doubtful whether the topographical knowledge of most 

 educated Southerners would enable them to say, offhand, 

 in what county it is situate. No one, however, has 

 probably once visited the town without finding many 

 things to admire and buildings to surprise. We may be 

 pardoned for saying that Southport is less than eighteen 

 miles from Liverpool, thirty-six from Manchester, sixteen 

 from Preston ; Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Old- 

 ham, and other large centres of manufacture being within 

 easy distances. It should be enough to say that a circle, 

 having its centre at the Town Hall, with a radius of forty 

 miles, would include 4,000,000 people. The public build- 

 ings are handsome and commodious, and every accom- 

 modation is at hand to render the forthcoming gathering, 

 even if very large in number, a perfect success. 



Liverpool being so near, a well-founded hope exists 

 that the town will be honoured by a visit from numerous 

 American, colonial, and foreign men of science. It must 

 not be forgotten that Edinburgh and Dublin, Glasgow 

 and Nottingham, Newcastle and Birmingham, are all 

 within ready access of Southport. 



Southport is about five hours from London, and has 

 through communication by two railways with every 

 important town in the United Kingdom. 



( >n this occasion the Reception Room will be at the 

 Cambridge Hall ; the Council Room in the same building; 

 the evening meetings and conversazioni will take place 

 in the Winter Gardens, which have been specially retained 

 wholly for this purpose ; the General Committee Room 

 will be at the Town Hall; Sections A and B at the 

 Atkinson Art Gallery ; Section C at the Temperance 

 Hall ; Sections D, and D» respectively at the West End 

 and at the Congregational School Room ; Section E at 

 St. George's Hall ; Section F at St. Andrew's Hall ; and 

 Section G at the Town Hall. After this list, no one can 

 doubt that there is ample accommodation, both for the 

 members as a body, and for the several Sections. 



There are several first-class hotels, capable alone, it is 

 estimated, of boarding and lodging 1000 people or more. 

 Apart from this, there are houses where apartments are 

 available to any reasonable extent. Probably the various 

 "company ''-houses, as they are styled locally, could 

 accommodate between 10,000 and 12,000 persons. In 

 addition to the regular places of this sort, many more 

 householders are prepared to become amateur lodging- 

 Vol. xxviil.— No. 722 



house keepers for the time in case of need. The Secre 

 taries and Recorders of Sections will be boarded and 

 lodged in houses on the Promenade, facing the sea, and 

 within three minutes' walk of the Winter Gardens, or 

 four to six minutes from the Reception Room, which is in 

 the centre of the town. 



Dealing in detail with the arrangements for the meet- 

 ing, it may be mentioned that the Local Executive Com- 

 mittee has for chairman Dr. James Wood, Mayor of 

 Southport. Among other members of the Committee 

 in question, the names are found of the Earl of Derby, 

 the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, the Earl of Lathom, 

 Prof. Greenwood, and Prof. Roscoe (all of whom are 

 also vice-presidents of the Association for this year). 

 Committees have been formed to deal with hospitality 

 and lodging arrangements, excursions, conversazioni and 

 evening meetings, audit and finance, and the lecture to 

 the operative classes. The local secretaries are Mr. J. H. 

 Ellis (the Town Clerk), Dr. H. H. Vernon, and Mr. T. W. 

 Willis (B.A. Cantab.). 



The retiring president, we may remind our readers, is 

 Sir C. William Siemens, and the president-elect is Prof. 

 Arthur Cayley, Sadlerian Professor of Mathematics in 

 the University of Cambridge. 



The first general meeting will be held on Wednesdav, 

 September 19, at 8 p.m., when Sir William Siemens 

 will resign the chair, and Prof. Cayley will assume the 

 presidency and deliver an address. On Thursday even- 

 ing, September 20, at 8 p.m., there will be a soiree in the 

 Winter Gardens ; on Friday evening, September 21, at 

 8.30 p.m.. a discourse on recent researches on the distance 

 of the sun, by Prof. R. S. Ball, Astronomer-Royal for 

 Ireland ; on Monday evening, September 24, at 8.30 

 p.m., a discourse on galvanic and animal electricity, by 

 Prof. J. G. McKendrick, Professor of Physiology in the 

 University of Glasgow ; on Tuesday evening, September 

 25, at 8 p.m., a soire'e in the Winter Gardens ; and on 

 Wednesday, September 26, the concluding general meet- 

 ing will be held at 2.30 p.m. 



It must not be forgotten that on Saturday, September 

 22, at 7 p.m., a lecture to working people will be de- 

 livered by Sir F. J. Bramwell on " Talking by Electricity : 

 Telephones" ; it is expected that the usual flock of Satur- 

 day excursionists will furnish an overflowing audience. 



In connection with the soirees, it may as well be stated 

 here that there is to be an exhibition of objects of scien- 

 tific and artistic interest in the covered skating rink, a 

 very prominent feature of which will be an exceptionally 

 complete installation of electric lighting on the Siemens 

 system. We believe that this last is intended to be one 

 of the most complete exhibitions ever yet seen of its kind. 

 There will also be in the large Pavilion (where the presi- 

 dential address and evening discourses will be given, and 

 concluding general meeting heli) an exhibition of Lewis's 

 improved system of incandescent gas lighting. This will 

 also be given on the nights of the two conversazioni. 

 The entries for other classes of exhibits (microscopes, 

 &c.) are very satisfactory. 



A feature of these yearly gatherings is the arrangement 

 for excursions to places of interest in the neighbourhood 

 of the town selected from year to year. These are very 

 numerous this time, and include Knowsley, Lathom 

 House, Ince Blundell Hall, the Abram Colliery, Stony- 



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