166 president's address. 



wanton interference with atmospheric pnrity. The broad and 

 elongated dales of these two fine rivers are deprived of probably 

 nearly half of their natural dew-fall by the clonds of smoke that 

 overhang them, and intercept terrestrial radiation by their foul 

 curtains, so that the moisture of the air is not condensed. 



Meanwhile this is no necessary evil, inseparable from success- 

 ful collieries and ironworks, for every man, I will not say of 

 science, but of common information, knows that wheresoever 

 there is the will there also is ready the way to reduce the mis- 

 chief to comparative insignificance ; and this with no loss, but 

 ultimate advantage, to the owners of the works concerned. 



The dew never descends upon these vales in anything like its 

 natural abundance ; whilst that which does descend comes soured 

 by sulphurous acid. 



It is well thus to record what we are suffering, for, like other 

 abuses, this too will come to be repressed, when once it shall be 

 firmly and steadily resisted. 



It now only remains for a confessedly defaulting President, 

 who, like the old hound in the fable, has rather to blame the de- 

 cay of his powers than of his good will, to make any amends 

 that he may, by not neglecting his address on quitting the occu- 

 pancy of the chair. And to a Society comprising many able 

 men, far more versed than I am in subjects that interest us all, 

 I feel that the most useful contribution I can offer will be to re- 

 cord in this paper any practical information, in the way of facts 

 or phenomena, observed by myself, which such men may them- 

 selves deal with ; at the same time not suppressing my own de- 

 ductions therefrom. 



A long life, passed mainly in the country, and in so fine a dis- 

 trict as the vale of Wooler, ought not to be quite barren of obser- 

 vations on the course of natural appearances. Nor were country 

 gentlemen inattentive to such matters, in our neighbourhood. 



About 1835 an admirable work on forest-trees and naval timber 

 was published by Mr. Matthew, a Scottish landowner in the 

 Carse of Growrie. Notwithstanding the special and restricted 

 title of the treatise, its author, a man of research and of strong, 

 masculine intellect, introduced discussions, embracing not only 



