Proceedings of the British Association. 379 



verslty of Edinburgh. The general laws of the curves were nearly 

 those established by Quetelet. In the comparison of nations, the 

 Irish appeared to be the first in all physical developments, the Scotch 

 ranked next, the_ English were the lowest of the three nations, but 

 they were above the Belgian. It was generally remarked, that the 

 data for the Irish and English were not sufficiently accurate to jus- 

 tify any general conclusions. 



A paper from Dr. Collins on periodicity of birth was read. 



Baron Dupin exhibited two maps of Britain, colored on Guerry's 

 plan, to illustrate criminal statistics, and their relation to density of 

 population and education. The latter was both the more prominent, 

 and, in relation to subsequent discussion, the more important branch 

 of the Baron's observations. He drew a distinction between moral 

 and physical education, describing the latter as an indifferent instru- 

 ment, capable of being applied either to good or evil. He then briefly 

 glanced at the proportion between juvenile offenders in England and 

 France, stating as a general result, that the young criminals of Eng- 

 land more frequently reformed than those of the Continent. 



Friday. August 26. 

 Section A. — Mathematical and Physical Science. 



Mr. Whewell read a paper on a new Anemometer. In this com- 

 munication Mr. W. explained a method of tracing or registering the 

 course of the winds through a given period by the motion of a pencil, 

 on an appropriate scale, so as to obtain eventually a true type of the 

 winds, which has never yet been arrived at by other instruments. 



Prof. Phillips read a notice of the probable effects of elevated 

 ground in the direction of the lines of equal magnetic dip. 



Prof. Stevelly read a paper on the mathematical rules for con- 

 structing compensating pendulums. 



Telescopes. — Sir D. Brewster read a paper describing a contri- 

 vance by which he was enabled to render distinct the dark lines of 

 the spectrum under the most unfavorable circumstances, and obtain 

 other useful effects. The method was to introduce a cylindrical re- 

 fractor between the eye and the eye-glass of the telescope, the effect 

 being, as he shewed, to give a linear form to a most irregular image. 



Mr. Russell read a paper on certain elements of the resistance of 

 fluids that appear to be intimately connected with the application of 

 analysis. 



