674 CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 



Dr. Chaeles R. Gibson (delegate of the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow), 

 in proposing the resolution introduced in the Presidential Address, drew a few 

 illustrations from Scotland, dealing specially with the works at Ben Nevis, and pointed 

 out that, in such cases, the difficulty of the preservation of scenic beauty was in some 

 measure one of pounds, shillings and pence. If it cost no more to build garden cities 

 than the style of workmen's houses adopted, the engineer would be more willing to 

 consider the preservation of scenic amenity. It was, therefore, necessary to employ 

 persuasion, if not compulsion, to attain the object which the conference have in view. 



Another point dealt with was the new road from TjTidi-um to Baiachuhsh through 

 Glencoe. He referred to the letter from the Association for the Preservation of Rural 

 Scotland sent to the Minister of Transport, the result of which was a reconsideration 

 of the plans in the light of the criticisms offered. 



Credit was due to the oil companies for the withdrawal of petrol advertisements 

 from the country roads. It was suggested that the desire for economy was not such 

 an important factor in the case of towns, in which the chief difficulty was that 

 extensions to, and alterations in, existing things had to be made at different dates, 

 producing a patchwork effect ; a town could not be planned at one time as can a 

 garden city. 



Pointing out that industrial Glasgow could not hope to vie in scenic beauty with 

 historic Edinbiu"gh, Dr. Gibson said it was interesting to note some new light on William 

 Morris' opinion of Glasgow. It had been disappointing to read, in the introduction 

 to his collected works, that Glasgow met with his unqualified disapproval, and that 

 the one admitted excellence of the city was the fine arrangements for getting away 

 from it. In a recent article Lewis Spence said that he had been told by Pittendrigh 

 Macgilvary, who was with Morris on his visit to Glasgow in the seventies, that the 

 mediaevaUst was so enchanted and bewildered by the city that he went into rhapsodies. 



It was stated that Glasgow now possessed 1,894 acres of public parks within the 

 city boundaries, and following up the President's remarks on outlook stations, Dr. 

 Gibson suggested that Glasgow should have a camera obscura in one of the towers of 

 the Art Galleries, in which the scenic beauty of the surrounding district might be 

 viewed. He thought it a great pity that the use of these historic instruments should 

 be allowed to die out. 



Mr. T. Sheppaed, vice-chairman of the Corresponding Societies' Committee, in 

 seconding the resolution said that in his dual capacity as the representative of the 

 Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, and of the Museums Association, he was proud to have 

 the opportunity of thanking Dr. Vaughan Cornish for his interesting address. Both 

 societies he represented had the scheme voiced by Dr. Cornish well at heart. 



The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, one of the oldest of its kind in the country, with 

 about 4,000 members and associates, had for many years taken an active part in the 

 preservation of natural monuments and of the fauna and flora of the county. Many 

 of its members privately subscribed to a fund to pay watchers to look after the rare 

 birds nesting on the Spurn Peninsula, at Hornsea Mere, the Bempton Cliffs, and in 

 the dales bordering the Lake District. In these areas many exceedingly rare species 

 were still, thanks to the Union, able to exist and bring forth their young. In addition 

 to its members, there were about forty affiUated natural historj' and scientific societies 

 in the county, each of which took an active part in endeavouring to preserve the 

 natural features, to prevent the extermination of rare plants and animals, in looking 

 after the commons, footpaths, and so on. The Union's journal, ' The Naturalist,' 

 had also assisted. The encroachment of buildings on natiu-al features was discouraged. 



The Museums Association consisted of representatives from the various National 

 and Provincial Museums in Great Britain, and the directors of the museums and 

 committees had largely contributed towards the end suggested. 



To-day an enormous number of valuable and historic buildings and parks were 

 preserved for the benefit of the public for all time by corporations and private bodies, 

 who had turned them into museums and open spaces of one description or another. 

 In some instances the buildings were preserved for their purely architectural features, 

 in others for their associations with important people who were connected with them. 

 It was impossible to enumerate them all or refer to the great number of places which 

 were under the control of museum authorities, but one might mention two or three 

 which came to one's mind, merely as types. 



In Yorkshire they had the Boiling Hall at Bradford, Wilberforce Museum at Hull, 

 the Bronte Museum at Haworth, the Folklore Museum in the Tithe Barn at Easington, 

 and others. There were also the HaUith Wood Museum at Bolton, Strangers' Hall at 



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