Meetings of the Scientific Association of Great Britain. 57 
Second sectton.—Of chemistry, electricity, galvanism, magnetism, 
mineralogy, chemical arts, and manufactures. 
Third sectton.—Of geology and geography. 
Fourth section.—Of natural history, (botany, zoology, and vege- 
table physiology.) 
Fifth section.—Of animal physiology, anatomy and medicine. 
Each section could be divided or be united to another ; it had also 
the right of choosing a president, vice president and two secretaries. 
These secretaries were charged with the collection of the papers 
and documents necessary to the secretaries of the association in ma- 
king out their general report. 
During the meeting of the sections, special communications were 
made, and announcements, either written or oral of recent discove- 
ries, of researches, of the results of researches, of experimental so- 
lutions of doubtful questions, indication of points important to be ex- 
amined, notices of the progress of science in other countries and 
oral remarks on these communications. — ‘ 
It would be impossible for me to give a complete account of all 
the proceedings of the general meetings or of the sections; neither 
time nor the nature of my studies would permit my following out so 
many different communications. To have an idea of their im- 
portance, it is sufficient to glance at the volume containing the re- 
ports of the British Association held last year at Oxford.* We 
there find, besides the most instructive and varied communications, 
reports full of interest, upon the history and recent progress of par- 
ticular branches of science. Reports of this nature were read this 
year and particularly on the following subjects : 
On the state of knowledge relative to terrestrial magnetism by 
Professor Christie. 
On the actual’ state of the analytical theory of hydrostatics and 
’ hydrodynamics, by Mr. Challes. 
On the state of knowledge relative to hydraulics considered asa 
branch of engineering, by Mr. G. Rennie. 
+On the state of knowledge, relative to the strength of materials 
by Barlow. 
* Reports of the British Association etc. 1831—1832, 1 vol. 8vo. 624 pages. 
London, published by John Murray, 1833. ; 
+ Mr. Barlow who was prevented by indisposition from assisting at the meeting 
sent his report together with a fragment of a beam, which in breaking, had shown 
in its fracture some circumstances quite unusual. 
Vol. XXVIIT.—No. 1. 8 
