280 REPORT— 1861, 



Interim Report of the Committee for Dredging on the North and East 



Coasts of Scotland. 



At tlie Aberdeen INIeeting of the British Association, a Committee vas ap- 

 pointed for the purpose of carrying on a system of dredging on the Nortli- 

 eastern Coast of Scotland, consisting of Dr. Ogilvie, Dr. Dickie, Professor 

 Kicol, Dr. Dyce, and Mr. Peach ; and ^625 was granted for that purpose. 

 Of this sum £5 ^Yas allotted to Mr. Peach, to enable him to conduct investi- 

 gations at AVick. 



In 1860 the few weeks available for dredging, before the meeting of the 

 Association in July, were so tempestuous and generally unfavourable, that no 

 part of the grant was expended ; but in the course of the autumn, a trial was 

 made off the coast of Banflshire. During the past summer, 1861, several 

 dredging expeditions were planned and completed off the Bay of Aberdeen 

 and adjacent coasts, none exceeding a distance of twelve miles from land. 



The Committee in Aberdeen considered it advisable to receive the aid of 

 others besides Mr. Peach, and to have trials made at points intermediate 

 between Aberdeen and Wick, in order to render the investigations as complete 

 as possible; and with this view the assistance of the Rev, W, Grigor, of 

 IMacduff, was asked, and readily accorded, a part of the grant being allotted 

 to him. They have also secured the cooperation of another zealous naturalist, 

 Mr. Dawson, of Cruden. This gentleman has just put at their disposal a 

 valuable and interesting report on the MoUusca of Cruden Bay ; but the 

 others have not yet had sufficient time to allow of any report ; and at Aber- 

 deen, the examination of the materials collected being still in progress, the 

 Committee are under the necessity of reserving the details for a further report. 

 The general results, however, have been such as to lead them to hope that the 

 sum of £25 will be granted for one year more, in order that the dredging 

 may be further carried on, and at greater depths and distances from land. 



No regular dredging has previously been conducted on this part of the 

 Scottish coast ; but the Committee have now the satisfaction of observing 

 that, owing mainly to the admission of parties of students of the University 

 to the dredging excursions, a feeling of interest has been awakened in the 

 pursuit, from which the best results may be anticipated, and there can be no 

 doubt that several ardent young men have thus been thoroughly trained in 

 carrying on such operations in the open sea. 



The Committee would urge these as reasons for a renewal of the grant, 

 that they may be thus enabled to procure materials for a complete report at 

 the meeting of the Association in 1862. 



George OGii,viE,/or the Committee. 

 August 31, 1861. 



On the Resistance of Iron Plates to Statical Pressvre and the Force 

 of Impact by Projectiles at Higli Velocities. By William Fair- 

 bairn, Esq., LL.D., F.R.S., ^c, President of the Association. 



The discovery of the application of iron plates as a means of defence against 

 ordnance of great power and force are of recent date, and are attributable to 

 His present Majesty the Emperor of the Frencii. Since 1858 numerous 

 experiments have been made to test the quality of the iron, and to determine 

 the thickness of the plates employed for that purpose; but it is only of late 

 years that the value and importance of this description of defence has been 



