DELEGATE'S REPORT OF BRITISH ASSOCIATION 267 



the stability and homogeneity of the British Empire have been established 

 and maintaived. 



Sir Qeorge Robertson is eminently typical of our East Indian 

 Commissiouera or Governors, and he very appropriately selected for 

 his address, Imperial Highways and Telegraphy. 



I attended the sections Statistics, Geography, Oeology, and Anthropology ; 

 and had an opportunity of supporting two readers of important paperg 

 in *he statistical section, by some remarks. On these questions 

 Dr Saunders of the Canadian Experimental Farm directorate, Professor 

 SomerviUe and Principal Hall of Wye College, also spoke. The latter 

 read a paper on carefully recorded experiments in this country and 

 Germany of the Sugar Beet. His observations seemed to indicate 

 that beet sugar could be more successfully made in Germany than 

 in the moat suitable parts of England, and that as the trade in 

 sugar now is, beet sugar is not a paying article of commerce in 

 England. In Germany the grower enjoys a bounty. In the Anthrop- 

 ological Section an interesting paper was read on "The objects 

 and process of tattooing among uncivilized races," notably among the 

 Maories, Australian Aborigines, and Congo tribes. It is a practice 

 also among our sailors ; and is not uncommon among students in 

 the German Universities, who practice duels wiih broad swords, with 

 the view of aequiring scars, which are legitimately the honoured 

 attribute of the country's defenders in war. The religious sigjiificance 

 of tattooing is not clearly known, but is probably intended to signify 

 that a vow has been taken. 



Three evening lectures of great practical value and interest were 

 given to the members of the British Association and the general 

 public, in St. George's Hall. The first of these was by Professor 

 Gotch, I.R.S., on Animal Electricity, and in the course of it, by 

 experiments Avith the living electric fish, and by diagrams, he gave 

 a vivid illustration of the vast concentrating and radiating power 

 of several species of fishes in the tropical waters. 



The lecture by Professor Stroud, D.Sc, on Range Finders, was perhaps 

 the most engrossing discourse of the Congress. He himseir has 

 invented the range finder now in use by our Navy, which is of 

 necessity more complicated than those that have been generally used 

 by our Army in South Africa this year. In operations on land 

 a base of 30 to 100 yards can usually be calculated from, and is 

 free from oscillation of the sea wave. 



Professor Silvanus Thompson, F.R.S., gave a popular lecture on the 

 Generation and Application of the Electric Current, to working men, 

 on Saturday evening. All these lectures were attended by an audience 

 of upwards of 3500, which was near the capacity of the hall. 



Ere I conclude this report I shall state briefly the conclusions 

 arrived at by the Delegates from Corresponding Societies, after a very 

 general discussion, presided over by Professor E. B. Poulton, M.A., 



