Junk 25, 1896] 



NA TURE 



181 



awarded a praise that was jjerhaps the least deserved, I think it 

 would have been the humble individual wlio now has the honour 

 ■of addressing you. As Americans, you are aware how very close 

 is our association with the great man of science whose jubilee we 

 now celebrate, lie first became known to us through his work in 

 connection with the Atlantic cable of 1858, a cable which, those 

 of you who now can remember it, ceased after a week or two of 

 rather intermittent activity. It is quite true that on that 

 occasion his fame was temporarily eclipsed by that of the 

 operator who sent the messages from the end in Newfoundland. 

 The name of this operator ran from city to city throughout the 

 country. It had never been heard of before ; it filled the land 

 for those few brief days, and when the cable ceased to send the 

 current, it disappeared almost for ever. For an explanation we had 

 to refertooneof our most eminent men of science, who has lived, 

 I think, wherever the Engli.sh language is spoken — the author of 

 the "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" — and who published a 

 theory or explanation of the whole phenomenon. This man was 

 a living product of the galvanic action of the cable, and when the 

 current ceased to pass, there was nothing left in the room he 

 occupied but a cloud of organic elements such as man is made of. 

 On the subsequent occasion of laying the cable in 1866, our 

 guest again became well known to us for his work in promoting 

 that object. Also, in our naval service, to which I have the 

 honour to belong, we are in many ways most indebted to him. 

 I do not think the name of any man is more familiar to the 

 officers of our navy anywhere than that of Lord Kelvin, 

 first, by his work on magnetism, and for the navi- 

 gation of ships, and by his deep-sea sounding apparatus, 

 as well as by many others of his inventions which relate to 

 navigation. There are certain features of his work which, as 

 one so long intimately associated with him, it may not be amiss 

 that I recall. The first, and perhaps most unique, feature is the 

 <:ombination of abstract results with practical application. It has 

 been the general — I do not know but that it has been the almost 

 universal — rule that the men who have by their studies and 

 thought promoted our knowledge of nature have not been those 

 who have applied that knowledge to the direct benefit of man- 

 kind by inventing means for its application. I am not sure but 

 that Lord Kelvin is the single, solitary exception to this rule. The 

 ground covered by his work is certainly remarkable in its extent. 

 The first knowledge I had of him — jirobaljly the first that those 

 who cultivate mathematics know of him — is in connection with 

 a journal published back in the forties, and known under dif- 

 ferent names at different times as the Cambridge, London, and 

 Dull/in Malheniatical Journal. For a period, I believe, he was 

 associated in the editorship of that journal. Now, it is worthy 

 of remark in this connection, that at the present time sets of this 

 journal can command a price that is almost fabulous in the public 

 market Irom the mathematicians of the day. Then at this point 

 he diverged from the doctrine which was said to have been laid 

 <Iown by one of the most eminent workers in the words, " I 

 thank Heaven that I cultivate a science which cannot be prosti- 

 tuted to any useful purpose." In passing from the field of mathe- 

 matics we come next to pure philosophy by saying that the theory 

 of energy in its present form is, I think, very largely due to his 

 work. This is, perhaps, the most far-reaching generalisation as 

 to the laws of action that the world has seen ; it enables us to 

 see the beginning of the universe and to look forward towards 

 its end. We all read discussions as to the age of the 

 €arth and the question whether the geologist has an in- 

 definite bank of time on which he can draw cheques with- 

 out limit. Vet another question of geology was that of the 

 rigidity of the earth, in which I think his view is almost uni- 

 versally accepted. In this wide range of activity I think we 

 may say that he has made few mistakes — perhaps we may say 

 that he is almost unique in not having made any. I beg leave, 

 on behalf of the foreign representatives, to thank you, my Lord 

 Provost and the citizens of (Glasgow for the very cordial recep- 

 tion we have met in coming here to present our congratulations 

 to Lord Kelvin on this menu)rable occasion. We shall ever 

 remember that reception, and I beg leave on behalf of all to 

 again express the hope that our honoured guest of this evening 

 may live for many years. 



Prof. Stoi^', at the suggestion of the Lord Provost, 

 very gracefully proposed the health of Lady Kelvin, 

 which was received with great applause. Lady Kelvin, who 

 occupied a seat in the balcony, bowed her acknowledg- 

 ments, and Lord Kelvin, replying for her, said — 



NO. 1 39 I, VOL. 54] 



Prof. Story has said well that I owe a great deal to Lady 

 Kelvin, but he does not know how much I owe. No person in 

 the world except myself knows how much of any results for 

 science that it has been possible for me to arrive at are due to 

 her co-operation. I thank you warmly for the very kind manner 

 in which you. Prof. Story, have proposed this toast, and with 

 which the company have received it. 



After the toasts of the University and City of Glasgow, . 

 proposed by the Earl of Rosse, D.C.L., F.R.S., and the 

 Lord Provost, proposed by .Sir Henry Roscoe, F.R.S., 

 had been duly honoured and replied to, the company joined 

 in singing " God .Save the Queen," and afterwards, on 

 the request of Lord Kelvin, in singing " Auld Lang Syne." 



Thus closed the celebration proper, a celebration almost 

 unique \\\ the experience of every one present for its grand 

 simplicity, splendid enthusiasm, and entire success in 

 every detail of arrangement. For the latter characteristic 

 the Jubilee Committee deserve the highest credit, and 

 its Secretaries, and others, among whom are the Rev. 

 Professor Stewart, D.D., Clerk of Senate, Mr. Allen 

 Baird, and members of the Senatus, who had charge of 

 the University arrangements, may well be proud of the 

 result of their labours. 



Nothing in Lord Kelvin's reply to the toast of his health 

 at the banquet was inore characteristic of the man 

 than his humble confession of failure to penetrate the 

 mystery of the constitution of matter and of ether. It 

 is no doubt true, as Lord Kelvin remarked, that the nature 

 of electric and magnetic force, and the relation between 

 ether, electricity, and ponderable matter, are still unknown 

 to us ; but Lord Kelvin's researches have been the means 

 of enabling himself and others to unravel many of their 

 phenoinena, to connect these phenomena by general 

 laws, and to marshal the forces of science for still further 

 assaults on the unknown. The ceriaininis gaiidia \s not 

 after all in this case mere joy of conflict, but the pleasure 

 of obtaining by strenuous endeavour some view first of the 

 very innermost secrets of nature, and what is of very great 

 consequence and may in time include everything, an 

 accurate conception of her method of working, and of the 

 dynamical laws which govern her operations. 



A number of delegates and others left Glasgow on 

 Wednesday morning, but many remained and accepted 

 the invitation of the Senatus to a special excursion 

 on the Firth of Clyde. A special train was run from St. 

 Enoch's station to Greenock, where the steamer Glen 

 Saniiox awaited the party. The morning was wet, but 

 the ample saloon accommodation of the splendid steamer, 

 with an awning erected on deck, provided sufficient 

 shelter. The steamer headed down the Clyde instead of 

 proceeding up Loch Long, where it was likely to be 

 raining still more heavily, and proceeded past Largs, 

 saluting Nether Hall, Lord Kelvin's country house at 

 Largs, in passing, thence between the Cumbraes to 

 the mouth of Loch Fyne, then round the Kyles of Bute, 

 and back to Greenock in time to allow Glasgow to 

 be reached before the departure of the limited mail 

 train in the evening. Luncheon and tea were served on 

 board. The weather cleared about midday, and the 

 excursion proved most enjoyable to all, and there were 

 many who ventured to go. Lord and Lady Kelvin with 

 their party were present, and, it was gratifying to observe, 

 seemed to be in excellent health and spirits in spite of the 

 excitement and fatigues of the previous days. 



.\. Gr.w. 



INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENCE. 



THE approaching International Conference arranged 

 by the Royal .Society to consider proposals for an 

 International Catalogue of Scientitic Literature will be 

 formally opened at the apartments of the Society in 

 Burlington House on the morning of Tuesday, July 14. 

 A reception of the delegates will be held by the 



