TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 



Section A.— MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE. 



President of the Section. — Professor E. W. Hobson, D.Sc, 



F.R.S. 



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1. 



The President delivered the following Address : — 



Since the last meeting of our Association one of the most illustrious of the 

 British workers in science during the nineteenth century has been removed from 

 us by the death of Sir William Huggins. In the middle of the last century Sir 

 William Huggins commenced that pioneer work of examination of the spectra of 

 the stars which has ensured for him enduring fame in connection with the 

 foundation of the science of Astrophysics. The exigencies of his work of 

 analysis of the stellar spectra led him to undertake a minute examination of the 

 spectra of the elements with a view to the determination of as many lines as 

 possible. To the spectroscope he later added the photographic film as an instru- 

 ment of research in his studies of the heavenly bodies. In 1S64 Sir William 

 Huggins made the important observation that many of the nebula? have spectra 

 which consist of bright lines ; and two years later he observed, in the case of a 

 new star, both bright and dark lines in the same spectrum. In 1868 his pene- 

 trating and alert mind made him the first to perceive that the Doppler principle 

 could be applied to the determination of the velocities of stars in the line of 

 sight, and he at once set about the application of the method. His life-work, in 

 a domain of absorbing interest, was rewarded by a rich harvest of discovery, 

 obtained as the result of most patient and minute investigations. The ' Atlas 

 of Representative Stellar Spectra,' published in the names of himself and Lady 

 Huggins, remains as a monumental record of their joint labours. 



The names of the great departments of science, Mathematics, Physics, 

 Astronomy, Meteorology, which are associated with Section A, are a sufficient 

 indication of the vast range of investigation which comes under the purview of 

 our Section. An opinion has been strongly expressed in some quarters that the 

 time has come for the erection of a separate Section for Astronomy and Meteor- 

 ology, in order that fuller opportunities may be afforded than hitherto for the 

 discussion of matters of special interest to those devoted to these departments of 

 Science. I do not share this view. I believe that, whilst the customary division 

 into sub-sections gives reasonable facilities for the treatment of questions interest- 

 ing solely to specialists in the various branches with which our Section is con- 

 cerned, a policy of disruption would be injurious to the wider interests of science. 

 The close association of the older Astronomy with Mathematics, and of the 

 newer Astronomy with Physics, form strong presumptions against the change 

 that has been suggested. Meteorology, so far as it goes beyond the purely em- 

 pirical region, is, and must always remain, a branch of Physics. No doubt, the 

 more technical problems which arise in connection with these subjects, though of 

 1910. L L 



