; 
Sept. 29, 1870] 
NATURE 
“History of the Development of the Lowest Forms of 
Infusorial Life” was a model of clearness and succinct- 
néss ; and the President himself paid a compliment to 
Mr. Bennett’s paper, which followed, on the “ Theory of 
Natural Selection looked at from a Mathematical Point of 
View,” as the first attack on the hypothesis conceived in a 
philosophical spirit, and such a paper as it is the special 
object of the Association to bring out. The great question 
of the meeting, that of “Spontaneous Generation,’ has 
already occupied sufficient space in our columns ; we look 
_ to the Liverpool meeting as the starting-point from which 
the discussion must in future be carried on in a truly 
philosophical and inductive spirit, free from the dogmatism 
which has hitherto surrounded it. 
The attitude of Liverpool towards the Association has 
been somewhat of a puzzle to its members. If we were to 
judge from the remarks heard in the streets and from the 
ordinary visitors at the hotels, and the “intelligent police- 
men” who were posted here and there to direct the wan- 
dering visitor, we might suppose that a meeting of the 
British Association was a monthly occurrence in Liver- 
pool, so utterly indifferent did they appear to it. The 
prevalent opinion appeared to be that we were another 
Church Congress in some sort of disguise. That there 
is aj public in Liverpool who watched its proceedings 
with intelligence and interest was evident; but this, at 
least, is certain, that such a public has no representative 
in the Liverpool press. Let any one who wishes to see 
what the papers say about the Association take up the 
Liverpool Courier of this morning, where they will find a 
leader devoted to a ponderously jocose reply to an inno- 
cent remark of ours last week. “Save us from our 
friends” was the remark with which we laid down the 
following comment on the Association :—“ The philoso- 
phers have come and gone, and Liverpool is at peace. 
They had a week of tremendous talk—tremendous not 
only as regards volubility, which is a blight we are well 
accustomed to in Liverpool, but also as regards the tech- 
nical ponderosity of the themes. However, it is over at 
last, and though we entertain the most devout admiration 
for science and scientific people, a sigh of relief escapes 
involuntarily as we speed the parting guest. It was im- 
possible that we could live long at the high pressure of the 
past week. It was more than human nature—of course 
we except scientific human nature, which is on a higher 
round in the Darwinian ladder than we poor cotton-dealers 
and traffickers—could bear for another seven days. ‘The 
‘philosophy was too exalted for our earthy intellects, and 
we are bound to confess that the local savans—we have 
quite a battalion of the genus, such as they are—mani- 
fested signs of weariness under the tempest-torrent of 
imported intelligence. Of course it was right that the 
personages who hang on to the skirts of philosophy should 
be members of the British Association; but what a 
change between the first and the last day !_ Mathematics 
and biology were a gay pastime in the initial stage, the 
wise men and the learned ladies were positively vivacious 
_ over the germ-theory, and not a few were prepared to 
enter the lists against any opponent of abiogenesis. But 
this enthusiasm could not be sustained, for there was no 
basis of real intelligent interest, and the animation waned 
as the stream of science still flowed on.” 
The reporter of the Corzer clearly found that he was 
getting beyond his depth, and wisely absented himself 
from the sittings during the last few days, or he would 
have known that the interest showed no signs of abate- 
ment. I venture to predict that those Liverpudlians for 
whom the meeting was not altogether “caviare” have 
been sowell pleased with the success of the meeting that 
in due time we shall have another invitation to pay the 
town a visit, when I hope large numbers of those who 
have now dispersed will again meet. 
It will be seen that the annual grant of 600/. for the 
purposes of the Kew Observatory has only two more years 
439 
torun, We must trust that the additional means thus placed 
at the disposal of the Council will be applied to purposes 
directly connected with the real advancement of science, 
and will not be frittered away in bricks and mortar. 
After holding the concluding general meeting which 
followed that of the general committee, the visitors to the 
Association rapidly dispersed ; a small proportion, how- 
ever, staying to avail themselves of one or other of the 
excursions which were arranged for the Thursday. In 
this respect next year’s meeting at Edinburgh will afford 
a much larger scope for the lovers of the picturesque. B. 
RESOLUTIONS OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE 
Applications for Reports and Researches not involving Grants of 
Money 
That Prof. R. B. Clifton, Mr. Glaisher, Mr. Huggins, Dr. 
Matthiessen, Prof. W. Hallows Miller, Dr. Balfour Stewart, 
Mr. G. Johnstone Stoney, Lieut.-Col. Strange, and Sir J. Whit- 
worth, Bart., be a Committee for the purpose of reporting on 
Metric Standards, in reference to the communication from Prof. 
Jacobi, appended hereto :— 
“The Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, observing that 
the Standard Metric Weights and Measures of the various 
countries of Europe and of the United States, differ by sensible, 
though small, quantities from one another, express the opinion 
that the continuance of these errors would be highly prejudicial 
to science. They believe that the injurious effects could not be 
guarded against by private labours, however meritorious, and 
they have therefore recommended that an international com- 
mission be appointed by the countries interested to deal with 
this matter. They have decided to bring the subject before the 
Russian Government, and have appointed a Committee of their 
own body, who have drawa up a careful Report containing 
valuable suggestions ; and they have deputed Prof. Jacobi to 
lay this Report before the British Association, and to request the 
Association to take action in reference to it.” 
That Dr. Anton Dohm, Prof. Rolleston, and Mr, P. L. 
Sclater be a committee for the purpose of promoting the founda- 
tion of zoological stations in different parts of the world, recog- 
nising the foundation of a zoological station at Naples asa decided 
step in this direction ; that Dr. Anton Dohrn be the Secretary. 
That the committee of Section D be requested to draw up a 
statement of their views upon Physiological Experiments in their 
various bearings, and that this document be circulated among 
the members of the Association. 
That the said committee be further requested to consider 
from time to time whether any steps can be taken by them or 
by the Association, which will tend to reduce to its minimum 
the suffering entailed by legitimate physiological inquiries, or any 
which will have the effect of employing the influence of this 
Association in the discouragement of experiments which are not 
clearly legitimate on live animals. 
Resolution passed by the Committee of Section D (Biology) : 
““That the following gentlemen be appointed a Committee for 
the purpose of carrying out the suggestion on the question of 
Physiological Experiments made by the General Committee :— 
Professor Rolleston, Professor Lawson, Professor Balfour, Dr. 
Gamgee, Professor M. Foster, Professor Humphry, Professor 
W. H. Flower, Professor Sanderson, Professor Macalister, and 
Professor Redfern ; that Professor Rolleston be the Secretary, 
and that they be requested to report to the Committee.” 
Involving Application to Government 
That Sir R. I. Murchison, Bart., Sir Charles Lyell, Bart., 
Mr. Findlay, and Admiral Sir John D. Hay be a committee for 
the purpose of bringing to the notice of the Commissioners of 
the Admiralty the importance of revising the survey of the west 
coast of South America, with a view to ascertaining what 
changes have taken place in the levels since the recent great 
earthquakes on that coast ; that Mr. Clements Markham be the 
secretary. 
That Prof. Jevons, Mr. R. Dudley Baxter, Sir John Bowring, 
Mr. J. T. Danson, Mr. James Heywood, Dr. W. B. Hodgson, 
and Prof. Waley be a committee for the purpose of urging upon 
her Majesty's Government the expediency of arranging and 
tabulating the results of the approaching census in the three 
several parts of the United Kingdom in sucha manner as to 
admit of ready and effective comparison; that Mr, Edmund 
Macrory be the secretary. 
ta 
