314 
NATURE 
[Aug. 17,1871 

add to their number be requested to take such steps as 
may seem to them desirable in order to promote obser- 
vations on the forthcoming Solar Eclipse. 
“That the Council be requested to take into consi- 
deration the desirability of the publication of the periodic 
records of the advances made in the various branches of 
science represented by the British Association. 
“ That it is desirable that the British Association apply 
to the Treasury for funds to enable the Tidal Committee 
to continue their calculations ; and that it is desirable that 
the British Association should urge upon the Government 
of India the importance for navigation and other practical 
purposes, and for science, of making accurate and conti- 
nued observations on the tides at several points on the 
coast of India. 
“That the Council of the Association be requested to 
take such steps as to them may seem most expedient in 
relation to the proposal of Dr. Buys Ballot to establish a 
telegraphic meteorological station at the Azores. 
“That the Council be requested to take such steps as 
they deem wisest in order to promote the introduction of 
scientific instruction into the elementary schools through- 
out the kingdom ; and, secondly, that the Council of the 
Association be requested to take such steps as may appear 
to them desirable with reference to the arrangement now 
in contemplation to establish leaving examinations, and 
to report to the Association on the present position of 
science teaching in the public and first grade schools.” 
Dr. Thomson read the report on the resolutions 
involving applications for grants of money, which were as 
follow :— 
KEW OBSERVATORY. 
The Council—Maintaining the establishment of Kew 
Observatory . 5 6 
MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS. 
Cayley, Professor—Mathematical Tables . : : 
Crossley, Mr.—Discussion of Observations of Lunar Objects 20 | 

Tait, Prof.—Thermal Conductivity of Metals . c m5 
Thomson, Prof. Sir W.—Tidal Observations c - 200 
Brooke, Mr.—British Rainfall . ° 5 4 r 100 
Thomson, Prof. Sir W.—Underground Temperature 100 
Glaisher, Mr.—Luminous Meteors. 4 ‘ é a 220) 
Huggins, Dr.—Tables of Inverse Wave Lengths. 5 29) 
CHEMISTRY. 
Williamson, Prof.—Reports of the Progress of Chemistry 100 
Williamson, Prof.—Testing Siemens’ new Pyrometer 5 30) 
Gladstone, Dr.—Chemical Constitution and Optical Pro- 
perties of Essential Oils A 9 A : a iD 
Brown, Dr. Crum—Thermal Equivalent of the Oxides of 
Chlorine. 2 D 3 : : 6 c aes} 
GEOLOGY 
Dancan, Dr.—Fossil Crustacea 4 : 5 : ees 
Lyell, Sir C., Bart —Kent’s Cavern Exploration . 100 
Harkness, Prof.—Investigation of Fossil Corals «| | 25 
Busk, Mr.—Fossil Elephants of Malta (renewed) . on RAS 
Harkness, Prof.—Collection of Fossils in the North-west 
of Scotland. : - 5 : Gi a 1 LO 
Ramsay, Prof—Mapping Positions of Erratic Blocks and 
Boulders. : 4 5 : : é 4 5) ix) 
BIOLOGY 
Stainton, Mr.—Record of the Progress of Zoology . 100 
Balfour, Prof.—Effect of the Denudation of Timber on the 
Rainfall in North Britain (renewed). A “ a 20) 
Sharpey, Dr.—Physiological Actionof OrganicCompounds 25 
Foster, Prof. M.—Terato-Embryological Inquiries eae 
Foster, Prof. M.—Heat Generated in the Arterialisation of 
the Blood (part renewed) . a C . 
Christison, Prof.—Antagonism of Poisonous Substances . 20 
GEOGRAPHY 

Murchison, Sir R—Exploration of the Country of Moab 100 
’ _ ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS 
Bowring, Sir J.—Metric Committee ° 5 » 75 
J MECHANICS 
Rankine, Prof—Experiments on Fletcher’s Rhysimeter . 30 
£1,620 

The whole of the proposed grants of money were 
approved of, the wording of the last being modified as 
follows : “ Experiments to measure the speed of ships 
and currents by means of the difference in heights of two 
columns of liquid.” 
Dr. Thomson read a number of recommendations 
adopted by the Committee on Recommendations not in- 
volving grants of money, which were also approved of. 
At the concluding meeting of the Association, held in 
the Music Hall at half-past two o’clock, Sir William 
Thomson in the chair, Dr. Thomson read the recommen- 
dations for grants of money and also the recommendations 
not involving money grants, which had been adopted by 
the General Committee. Mr. Griffiths stated that the 
number of tickets issued for this meeting had been as 
follows: Old life members, 246; new life members, 28 ; 
old annual members, 311 ; new annual members, 127 ; 
associates, 976 ; ladies (transferable tickets), 754 ; foreign 
members, 21—total, 2,463. The money received for these 
tickets was 2,575. 
It will be seen that the recommendations were almost 
more important than in any previous year. The last in 
particular, relative to the introduction of scientific in- 
struction into the elementary schools of the country, covers 
a wider ground than is often included in the action of the 
Association. Wisely carried out, this recommendation 
may be pregnant of the most important results in the 
future; and serves to show that at least our leading 
scientific men are alive to the need there is for a strenuous 
effort to place the education of the country ona level 
with the requirements of the times. The scheme to which 
we referred in our leader last week, relative to the extension 
and improvement of-the present system of giving scientific 
lectures to the people, was warmly taken up, and a com- 
mittee appointed to carry it out. The application to the 
Government asking for 2,000/, in aid of the observation of 
the Total Eclipse in December next was sent off the same 
day. 
Among the more important papers read during the 
present week were two on Tuesday in Section A, which it 
was agreed should be taken together: On Government 
Action on Scientific Questions, by Col. A. Strange, F.R.S.; 
and Ox Obstacles to Teaching Science in Schools, by the 
Rev. W. Tuckwell. In both these papers, of which we 
shall give full reports, very important issues were raised. 
The discussion on them was a highly interesting one, and 
was led by Prof. Tait, who said there existed an absolute 
necessity for a State system of instruction in Science ; 
and was carried on by the Rev. T. G. Bonney, Mr. G. J. 
Stoney, Mr. James M. Wilson of Rugby, Mr. Pengelly, 
Mr. Boyd Dawkins, and others. An entire unanimity 
was displayed as to the pressing importance of both the 
subjects introduced. On Wednesday, Section D was en- 
livened by another Spontaneous Generation controversy, 
introduced by Dr. H. C. Bastian, who was supported by 
| Dr. Burdon Sanderson, to the extent that we have at 
present no evidence that fungus or other germs are con- 
tained in the air in a vital condition. In closing the dis- 
cussion, the President of the Section said that the subject 
was still one which must be considered as undecided. 
| The proposal to enter into the discussion of Mr. Crookes’s 
“Psychic Force,” and the whole phenomena of so-called 
20 | “ Spiritualism,” was rejected for want of time. 
The excursions, which were arranged for yesterday, were 
uniformly well carried out and successful. About eighty 
ladies and gentlemen paid a visit to Hopetoun House and 
Dalmeny Castle. Forty ladies and gentlemen availed 
themselves of the trip to Rosslyn and Penicuik, and over 
300 visited Melrose, Dryburgh, and Abbotsford. 
The excursion of the Geologists was to Siccar Point and 
Fast Castle, under the leadership of Prof. Geikie. The 
object of the excursion was to visit the coast-line of Ber- 
wickshire, and examine the natural sections there, which 
have become classic in geology through the writings of 
