THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 



The origin of this Society in 1831 carries us away to another ancient city 

 of the British Isles, which the writer had the pleasure of visiting also during tjie 

 past summer. This is the old Scottish city of St. Andrews. Here a friendly 

 professor who acted as cicerone descanted on the doings, including the scientific 

 fervor, and the somewhat radical tendencies of Sir David Brewster, Principal 

 sixty years ago of the United Colleges of St. Salvator and St. Leonard in that 

 oldest of Scottish Universities, whose founding five centuries ago will be cele- 

 brated in 1911. 



Brewster was a born scientist. Educated in Edinburgh, he had thrown 

 aside the study of theology and devoted himself with great enthusiasm to the 

 great department of Physical Optics. He discovered many of the chief facts as 

 to the refraction, polarization, and absorption of light, and his value was imme- 

 diately recognized by the Royal Society. On the continent in 1 822, led by Dr. 

 Oken o|f Munich, there had been formed the Association of Physicians and 

 Naturalists in Munich. In 1 830 also the German Congress of Scientists had 

 met in Hamburg, and much interest was caused, which spread to the British 

 Isles. Thus inspired to see the value of conferences between men of kindred 

 scientific tastes, Brewster, in an article in the " Quarterly Review," made the 

 important suggestion of "an Association of our nobility, clergy, gentry, and 

 philosophers " for the active pursuit of scientific studies and discoveries. He 

 spoke at the right moment. Ardent sympathizers took hold of his suggestion, 

 and in 1831 the first meeting of the British Association for the advancement of 

 Science was held in the city of York — a common meeting ground for North 

 and South Britain. The promoters were warmly welcomed by the Yorkshire 

 Philosophical Society, leading lights of which were the Rev. Vernon Harcourt 

 and Dr. Goldie. In his enterprise kindred spirits were found by Sir David 

 Brewster in Professor Babbage of Cambridge, the inventor of the famous cal- 

 culating machine ; in Sir J. F. W. Herschel — the son of the great astronomer — 

 and himself an astronomer and physicist of note; and in Sir Roderick Murchi- 

 son, Professor Johnstone, and Professor Phillips. These moulding minds gave 

 shape to the Association. 



The first President of the Association was Viscount Milton, afterward Earl 

 Fitzwilliam, a Yorkshire nobleman. He has a special interest to us as Can- 

 adians, on account of his son, Lord Milton, being one of the adventurous 

 spirits who, with Dr. Cheadle, crossed through our part of Canada in 1 862-3, 

 and succeeded after the greatest hardships in reaching the Pacific Coast in rags, 

 after having well nigh perished from starvation in the mountains of British 

 Columbia. We have a picture of his lordship in his buckskin suit. 



