Se — — ~~ 
Sept. 17, 18385] 
NATURE 
493 
American in construction, whilst for girders of moderate span, 
such as those on the many miles of elevated railway in New 
York, riveted girders of purely European type are admittedly 
the cheapest and most durable. From my conversations with 
leading American bridge builders, I am satisfied that their 
future practice and our own will approach still more nearly. 
We should never think of building another Victoria tubular 
bridge across the St. Lawrence, or repeat the design of the 
fallen Tay Bridge, nor would they again imitate in iron an old 
timber bridge, or repeat the design of the fallen Ashtabula 
bridge. In one respect the practice in America tends to the 
production of better and cheaper bridges than does our own 
practice, and it is this: each of the great bridge-building firms 
adopts by preference a particular type design, and the works are 
laid out to produce bridges of this kind. It is an old adage that 
practice makes perfect, and by adhering to one type, and not 
vaguely wandering over the whole field of design, details are 
perfected and a really good bridge is the result. Engineers in 
America therefore need only specify the span of their bridge, 
and the rolling load to be provided for, with certain limiting 
stresses, and they can make sure of obtaining a number of 
tenders from different makers of bridges, varying somewhat in 
design, but complying with all the requirements. With us, on 
the other hand, it is too often the privilege of a pupil to try his 
*prentice hand on the design for a bridge, and it is no wonder, 
therefore, that many curious bits of detail meet the eye of an 
observant foreigner inspecting our railways. 
The magnificent steel wire rope suspension bridge of 1600 feet 
span built by Roebling across the East River at New York well 
marks the advanced state of mechanical science in America as 
regards bridge-building. It is worthy of note that, at the 
second meeting of the British Association, held so long back as 
1832, there was a paper on suspension bridges, and the author 
entreated the attention of the scientific world, and particularly 
of civil engineers, to the serious consideration of the question : 
“‘How far ought iron to be hereafter used for suspension 
bridges, since a steel bridge of equal strength and superior 
durability could be built at much less cost?” ‘*I earnestly call 
upon the ironmasters of the United Kingdom,” said he, ‘‘ to lose 
no time in endeavouring to solve this question.” In this, as in 
many other engineering matters, America has given us a lead. 
America, is indeed, the paradise of mechanics. When the 
British Association was inaugurated, years ago, there was, I 
believe, no intention to have a section for the discussion of 
mechanical science. Possibly it may have been considered too 
mean a branch. Even the usually generous Shakespeare speaks 
contemptuously of ‘‘mechanic slaves, with greasy aprons, 
rules, and hammers ;” and our old friend Dr. Johnson’s defini- 
tion of ‘‘mechanical” is ‘mean, servile.’”’ We have lived 
down this feeling of contempt, and the world admits that the 
** greasy apron” is as honourable a badge as the priest’s cassock 
or the warrior’s coat of mail, and has played as important a part 
in the great work of civilising humanity and turning bloodthirsty 
savages into law-abiding citizens. 
As I have had occasion to refer to Canada and America in the 
course of my remarks, I cannot refrain from expressing the high 
appreciation which I am sure every member of this Section 
entertains of the cordiality and warmth of our reception on the 
other side of the Atlantic last year. Such incidents make us 
forget that differences have ever existed between the two 
countries. I was amused the other day, on reading in Dr. 
Doran’s ‘‘ Annals of the Stage,” that, in the year 1777, the 
theatrical company from Edinburgh was captured on its voyage 
to Aberdeen by an American privateer, and taken off Heaven 
knows where, for it did not turn up again. This, you will say, 
was a long time ago; but, if you glance through the speeches of 
our present gracious Sovereign, you will find one in which her 
Majesty speaks with ‘‘deep concern” of insurrection in Lower 
Canada, and of hostile incursions into Upper Canada by 
certain ‘‘lawless inhabitants” of the United States of North 
America. 
This is strange reading, after our last year’s experience. 
Gentlemen, I may not have carried you with me in some things 
I have said, but I think you will all agree with me in this: that 
the statesman who should suffer any slight difference of opinion 
to develope into a serious breach between ourselves and our 
brethren in Canada and cousins in America would, to quote the 
- words of Burke, ‘‘ far from being qualified to be directors of the 
great movements of this empire, be not fit even to turn a wheel 
in the machine.” 
NOTES 
THE new gallery of fishes at the Natural History Museum is 
now open to the public, and an addition has been made to the 
Osteological Gallery by throwing open the pavilion at the west 
end, in which are exhibited skeletons and skulls of elephants, 
the giraffe, &c. © 
A REPORT is current in Rome that the members of the 
Italian Expedition to Central Africa, under the leadership of 
Signor Alfredo Massari, have been massacred. 
THE natural history collections made by the late Dr. 
Nachtigal, in the course of his tour of annexation on the west 
coast of Africa, have arrived at Berlin in twenty cases, and the 
greater part of their contents will be assigned to the new 
ethnological museum. 
AN astronomical-mathematical section, under the presidency of 
Profs. Reye and Christoffel, of Strassburg, has been formed in 
the Scientific Congress at Strassburg. 
M. BouquET, a mathematician of some eminence and a 
Sorbonne professor, died on the roth instant at the age of 
sixty-six. 
THE death is announced of Mr. W. A. Guy, M.B., F.R.S., 
on the roth inst., in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He was 
fora number of years Dean of the Medical Department in 
King’s College, and Professor of Hygiene. He was admitted a 
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1844, held office 
as censor in 1855, 1856, and 1866, and as examiner in 1861-3, 
and in 1861, 1868, and 1875 was appointed Croonian, Lumleian, 
and Harveian lecturer. Mr. Guy also held a number of other 
appointments, among which were—honorary secretary to the 
Statistical Society in 1845, and President in 1873, examiner in 
forensic medicine at the University of London in 1862, Swiney 
Prizeman, 1869, and Vice-President of the Royal Society in 
1876-7. Mr. Guy devoted much attention for many years to 
questions of sanitary reform and social science, and in 1878 was 
appointed one of the Royal Commissioners to inquire into the 
working of the Penal Servitude Acts ; also in 1879 a member of 
the Criminal Lunatic Commission. He wasthe author of many 
essays on physiology and kindred subjects, and also of works of 
a more general character. Among his principal publications 
may be mentioned “‘ Principles of Forensic Medicine,” ‘‘ Public 
Health,” ‘‘ The Factors of the Unsound Mind,” ‘‘ John 
Howard’s Winter’s Journey,” and his last work, ‘‘ The Claims 
of Science on Public Recognition and Support.” It may be 
added that Mr. Guy was likewise editor of Hooper's ‘‘ Physician’s 
Vade-Mecum.” 
Cot. PRJEVALSKY has sent the following message, dated 
July 1, from his camp in Chinese Turkestan :—‘“‘ It is imposs- 
ible to penetrate into Tibet by the Keria Mountains, the passes 
through them being impracticable for our beasts of burden, and 
the Chinese having obstructed the paths with rocks, and having 
also destroyed the bridges. The native population has given us 
everywhere a good reception, and, despite the interference of 
the Chinese, their sympathies with the Russians are openly pro- 
nounced. We shall pass the present month among the snow- 
covered mountains between the rivers of Keria and Khoten. 
About the middle of August we shall go to Khoten, and then 
by the course of the river of the same name to Aksu. All is 
well.” 
THE inaugural address at the commencement of the medical 
session 1885-86 will be delivered at St. Thomas’s Hospital on 
October 1, at 3 p.m., by A. O. MacKellar, M.Ch., F.R.C.S., 
in the theatre of the hospital. 
AT the request of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences, 
the Government of the Netherlands’ Indies has taken a step 
