NATURE 



337 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, li 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION 



SOUTHAMPTON is to have the honour this year (as 

 no doubt most of our readers are already aware) of 

 receiving the British Association for the Advancement 

 of Science during its fifty second Annual Meeting, which 

 will take place between the 23rd of August and the 1st of 

 September. The selection of Southampton for this pur- 

 pose is happy in many respects. The town has a history, 

 and is in itself attractive. It is near the sea, it is well- 

 built, it has beautiful surroundings ; its Public Parks and 

 its Common are no mean objects of interest, it has supe- 

 rior hotel, boarding and lodging accommodation, and, 

 above all, it is excellently supplied, as we shall see below, 

 with Public and other Buildings in which to hold the 

 General and Sectional Meetings of the Association. 



The proximity of Southampton to the Continent induces 

 a hope of the presence of some of the most eminent 

 men of science of France, Germany and other countries. 

 Steps have been taken to secure this ; and the visit of the 

 distinguished foreigners will probably form one of the 

 leading characteristics of the meeting. 



The town and its immediate neighbourhood have always 

 been found extremely attractive to visitors, especially 

 during the months of August and September, when a very 

 large number of yachts assemble for the purpose of taking 

 part in the great regattas which are held at Cowes, Ryde, 

 Portsmouth, and Southampton itself ; whilst the beautiful 

 scenery of the New Forest and the Isle of Wight can 

 easily be enjoyed. It will be seen in the sequel that 

 ample provision has been made by the Local Executive 

 Committee in this direction. 



To the Archaeologist, Southampton presents much that 

 is interesting, possessing as it does many remains of 

 great antiquarian value, — for instance, the Bar Gate and 

 the old Town Walls, Towers, &c, the birth-house of Isaac 

 Watts, the site of the old Spa, and other ruins, — whilst 

 on the banks of Southampton Water stand the ruins 

 of Netley Abbey. Within very easy access of the town 

 are the City of Winchester, with its Cathedral, its 

 College, aAd the Hospital of St. Cross ; the town of 

 Romsey, with its noble Abbey Church ; the city of Salis- 

 bury withitsbeautifulearly English Cathedral,its Blackmore 

 Museum, Old Sarum, Stonehenge, Cherbury, and Wilton 

 Park ; and the village of Beaulieu, in the New Forest, 

 with the remains of Beaulieu Abbey. On the shores of 

 the Solent is Hurst Castle, and a little beyond, the Priory 

 of Christchurch. In the Isle of Wight are Carisbrooke 

 Castle, the remains of a Roman villa in the village of 

 Carisbrooke, and the newly discovered Roman villa near 

 Brading : to say nothing of the Queen's residence at 

 Osborne House, and numerous other lovely sites and 

 spots. 



Special facilities have been granted by the respective 

 authorities for inspecting the Royal Victoria Hospital at 

 Netley, the great Naval Arsenal, Dockyard, &c, at 

 Portsmouth, and the royal yacht Victoria and Albert. 



To the Geologist the shores of the Solent display for 

 his investigation rocks of the greatest interest, some of 

 which at the present time occupy the attention of men 

 Vol. xxvi. — No. 667 



most eminent in the science. Alum Bay, Headon Hill, 

 Colwell Bay, and Whitecliff Bay, in the Isle of Wight 

 will be visited by means of excursions, as also probably 

 Hardsell Cliff and Bournemouth. The Purbeck Beds 

 can easily be reached by those who desire to pursue the 

 subject. 



Southampton is within a little more than two hours 

 railway journey of London ; and by the through commu- 

 nications of the railways in connection with the South 

 Western Company, can readily be reached from any part 

 of the United Kingdom. It also affords special facilities 

 to those who wish to include a sea passage in their ar- 

 rangements for the autumn. Steam-packets, fitted with 

 every comfort, ply between Southampton and the ports 

 of London, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Falmouth, Cork, 

 Waterford, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow; and the mail- 

 packets of the London and South Western Railway Com- 

 pany maintain constant communication with Havre, 

 Rouen, Honfleur, Trouville, Caen, Cherbourg, Granville, 

 St. Malo, and the Channel Islands. 



With reference particularly to the arrangements for the 

 forthcoming meeting of the British Association, it may be 

 mentioned that H.R.H. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, 

 occupies the position of President of the General Local 

 Committee, and a confident expectation is indulged that, 

 in company with the Duchess, His Royal Highness will 

 be present during the week. The Vice-Presidents include 

 some two dozen of the neighbouring nobility, and resident 

 clergy and gentry. For Chairman of the Executive 

 Committee we have the Worshipful the Mayor of South- 

 ampton (Mr. W. H. Davis); the Vice-chairman is Mr. 

 W. E. Darwin, M.A. (son of the late . distinguished 

 Charles Darwin) ; the local Treasurer is Mr. T. Blount 

 Thomas, a former Mayor of the Town ; the local Secre- 

 taries are Mr. C. W. A. Jellicoe (the Borough Treasurer), 

 Mr. J. E. Le Feuvre (one of the Borough Magistrates), 

 and Mr Morris Miles (an officer of long-standing on the 

 Ordnance Survey, and President of the local Literary and 

 Philosophical Society) ; whilst the Committee itself com- 

 prises about thirty of the local clergy, members of the 

 various services and professions, &c, &c. 



The President-elect is Mr. C. W. Siemens, LL.D., 

 F.R.S., &c. The first general meeting will be held at 

 the Skating Rink on Wednesday, August 13, at 8 p.m., 

 when Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M.P., F.R.S., &c, will 

 resign the chair, and the President-elect will assume his 

 office and deliver an address. On Thursday, August 24, 

 at 8 p.m., there will be a soiree in the Hartley Hall : 

 on Friday evening, August 25, at 8.30 p.m., in the 

 Skating Rink, a discourse on the Tides, by Sir William 

 Thomson, LL.D, F.R.S., &c, Professor of Natural Philo- 

 sophy in the University of Glasgow ; on Monday evening, 

 August 28, at S.30 p.m., in the Skating Rink, a discourse 

 on Pelagic Life, by H. N. Moseley, M.A., F.R.S., Pro- 

 fessor of Anatomy and Physiology in the University of 

 Oxford ; on Tuesday evening, August 29, at 8 p.m., a 

 second soirie in the Hardey Hall; on] Wednesday. 

 August 30, the concluding General Meeting will be held 

 in the Skating Rink at 2.30 p.m. In addition to these 

 arrangements, there will be a lecture to the operative 

 classes in the Skating Rink on Saturday evening, August 

 26, by Mr. John Evans, D.C.L., V.P.R.S., &c, on 

 "Unwritten History, and How to Read it;" and on 



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