ON RECALESCKNT POINTS IN IRON AND OTHER METALS. 147 



Third (Interim) Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor 

 Fitzgerald, Dr. John Hopkinson, Mr. E. A. Hadfield, Mr. 

 Trouton, Professor Roberts-Austen, Mr. H. F. Newall, and 

 Professor Barrett (Secretary), on the various Phenomena con- 

 nected tuith the Recalescent Points in Iron and other Metals. 



The Committee reported at some length, last year, and wisli to j^ostpone 

 a further report till next year. They desire, therefore, to be i-eappointed 

 without a jcrant. 



Second (Interim) Report of the Committee, consisting of Dr. John" 

 Kerr, Sir William Thomson, Professor RiJCKER, and Mr. R. T. 

 Glazebrook (Secretary), appointed to co-operate with Dr. Kerr 

 in his researches on Electro-optics. 



The Committee report that Dr. Kerr is continuing his experiments on 

 Electro-optics, and hopes to be able to get some definite results for the 

 meeting next year. They wish to be reappointed. 



Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Liveing, Dr, C. 

 PiAZZi Smyth (Secretary), and Professors Dewae and Schuster, 

 appointed to co-operate ivith Dr. C. Piazzi Smyth in his researches 

 on the Ultra-violet Rays of the Solar Spectrum. 



The first proceeding of this committee after authorisation was to inquire 

 into all that their Secretary was proposing to do in the way of observa- 

 tion and record in the ultra-violet of the solar spectrum and the suf- 

 ficiency or otherwise of the apparatus he had already collected for the 

 purpose. Much correspondence followed through the autumn and in the 

 winter of 1890-91, and it soon became evident that only a small part of 

 what was scientifically necessary could be procured with the amount 

 voted. 



In February, 1891, however, a most agreeable surprise occurred, in 

 the shape of a resuscitation of a still earlier application on the same 

 general lines, but on a wider basis, by Dr. C. Piazzi Smyth to the Royal 

 Society's Government Grant Committee in July, 1890, and which he 

 erroneously imagined, from their silence after receiving it, had not been 

 approved by that body. But it had been simply kept in abeyance, and 

 was finally pronounced favourably upon and granted in 1891. This 

 measure happily relieved the British Association Committee from attempt- 

 ing to do altogether too ranch for its small means, though still requiring the 

 utmost economy in their t.isposition, as well as their limitation to the exact 

 line pointed out in the resolution passed by the General Committee at 

 Leeds, viz., ' to co-operate with their Secretaiy in his researches on the 

 Ultra-violet Rays of the Solar Spectrum.' 



Now this part of the spectrum being absolutely invisible to the eye, 

 though otherwise known fo be in the field of the Secretary's Grating 

 spectroscope at the time, while the /oc2(s of the inspecting or photograpb- 



L 2 



