Proceedings, &c., for 1883. 145 



December 13*A, 1883. 

 Present, the President (in the chair) and 15 memb3rs and associates. 



A ballot was taken for the election of the following gentlemen, 

 who were declared duly elected : — Mr. J. L. Morley, as a member ; 

 Mr. J. Thome, as an associate ; Mr. M. L. Bagge, as an associate. 



The Standing Orders were then suspended, and Major Shakespear 

 was elected a member, and Mr. Adam G. Shaw, an associate ; these 

 elections taking place without the usual nomination. 



Messrs. Joseph and Gilbert were re-elected Auditors for the 

 ensuing year. 



Professor Kernot, as Chairman of the Committee formed to 

 consider the claims of Dr. Davy, reported that, having consulted all 

 the leading works on the subject, they were convinced that Dr. Davy 

 had been instrumental in helping forward the development of the 

 electric telegraph. At the same time, there were so many beside 

 Dr. Davy following out the same line of investigation in 1838, that 

 it was advisable to be cautious in assigning different degrees of 

 merit to the various workers. The chief point in Dr. Davy's favour 

 was that he was the first to form a distinct conception of the relay 

 system. In view of this they advised that, in the meantime, Dr. Davy 

 be elected as an honorary member of the Society, and that, in future, 

 if he felt disposed to put forward any further claim in the matter, 

 the best assistance of the Society should be rendered him. The 

 report of the committee was adopted, and Dr. Davy was unanimously 

 elected an honorary member. 



Mr. G. W. Selby, junr., then read his paper on " Electricity as a 

 Motive Power on Railways." 



Mr. Behrendt illustrated the economy obtained by electricity as a 

 motive-power by exhibiting a table of the different amount of work 

 obtained for a given sum by the use of electricity and of steam. 



Professor Kernot said that an ordinary locomotive weighed about 

 forty tons, which made a great addition to the weight of a train, 

 causing excessive wear and tear on the rails, necessitating the 

 building of expensive bridges, and many other causes of expense in 

 railways ; these could all be avoided by the use of electricity. The 

 number of men required on an electric railway was smaller than that 

 required on a railway of the ordinary kind ; still Professor Kernot 

 did not think that electricity could be used for railways except in 

 large cities. 



Professor Kernot then read his paper on " Gas as a Motive 

 Power." 



Dr. MacGillivray's paper on " New, or Little Known, Polyzoa," 

 Part VI., was laid on the table. 



Mr. Ellery said that he had received many interesting letters on 

 the subject of the recent red sunsets. He read an extract from one 



