TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 219 



In the first place, there is an e-\ident and urgent necessity for the whole 

 question of tlie water supply, at any rate of England, bein<? much more tho- 

 roughly investigated and taken in hand than it has hitherto been thought 

 necessary. 



Secondly, there is need for the concentration of the business of the supply and 

 distribution of water (including frequently the management of the gathering 

 grounds), the roads, the lighting, and the drainage in one board for each town or 

 district, preferably the municipal authority. In London, where there is no such 

 concentration, the waste and inconvenience arising from the independence of the 

 road, gas, and water authorities in the mere matter of breaking up the roads is be- 

 coming a very serious consideration. 



Thirdly, there is a want of knowledge of natural science in the local governing 

 bodies, which is but ill supplied by their employment of professional officers. Much 

 more of it is wanted in the governing councils themselves before their technical 

 advisers can be either properly appreciated or properly controlled. Whether this 

 is to be got by the direct infusion of a professional element into the council itself, 

 or whether it is best to wait for the general spread of natural loaowledge, I scarcely 

 care e^en to form a judgment. 



Fourthly, it is a popular delusion, especially prevalent in this Section, that the 

 invention and pronsion of a mechanical convenience are necessarily an immediate 

 social benefit. There are many cases in which the direct effect is to facilitate 

 personal indolence or carelessness. It is then a positive evil, until, either by 

 natural selection or by experience, more careful habits have been re\erted to. 

 There are other cases in which the indirect consequences are more mischievous 

 than the direct advantages are beneficial. Here, again, there is no benefit until 

 those consequences have been met. There is a disadvantage which only attaches 

 to the immediate effects of some particular inventions. On the whole, of course, 

 invention is not only a good thing, but, together with discovery, a necessity of our 

 nature and of our existence. Meanwhile our immediate national necessity is a 

 wider, deeper, more exact, and more general spread of natural knowledge. 



On the Removal of Subaqueous Rocks by the Diamond Rock-borer. 

 By Major Beafmont, M.P. 



On the Removal of Sand-bars from Harbour-mouths. By M. Bergeron. 



Hand-machine for Shaping and Finishing Metal Surfaces. By J. B. Beynon. 



A Flanging-iron and Steel Plates for Boiler purposes. By A. B. Brown. 



On an Engine for Starting and Reversing large Marine Engines. 

 By A. B. Brown. 



The principal feature of this engine consisted of a combination of steam and 

 hydraulic cylinders, controlled by an automatic valve-gear, which enables the 

 eno-ineer to reverse the largest engines without assistance in a few seconds. This 

 is accomplished by the lever which opens and closes the steam and hydraulic 

 valves being hung partly on the reversing-lever and at its other extreme on the 

 weigh -shaft lever, so that any motion given to it and the valves by the engineer 

 in one direction is counteracted by the movement of the weigh-shaft lever to 



