Proceedings of the British Association, 109 



the form of least resistance. He accordingly built a small vessel of 

 about four tons measurement, in the waveform, for the purpose of 

 making experiments with it as a sailing vessel. The other gentleman 

 to whom we were indebted for this experiment was Dr. Phipps, of 

 Cork, now in London, who had formerly distinguished himself as a 

 naval constructor, and had invented a form of his own, which had 

 been attended with great success. At the last meeting in Cork he 

 had become acquainted with the wave form, and it was under his 

 superintendence that an experimental vessel had been built on the 

 Thames, during last summer. The vessel had been tried on the 

 Thames by Dr. Phipps, and subsequently in the Bay of Dublin, and 

 the results of the experiments were laid before the meeting in the 

 letters which had been received from Dr. Phipps and Dr. Corrigan. 

 From these letters it appeared that the performances of this small 

 vessel had been surprising. In speed she had already beaten every 

 vessel with which she had been tried, and these included pleasure 

 boats and yachts, some of them of high reputation for speed, and of 

 four times her size. It was of course difficult to conduct experiments 

 of this kind with mathematical precision, but the reports stated that 

 the experimental vessel was not only fast before the wind, but 

 weatherly, dry, stiff, and easily worked. The experiments on this 

 vessel were still in progress ; and unless she should in future be beat- 

 en by some vessel of her own size, and of a different form, it would 

 appear from these reports that the wave form might be adopted with 

 as great advantage in the construction of sailing vessels, as it already 

 had been in the construction of the fastest class of steam vessels. 



Thursday, September 29. 



Section A.— MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE. 



The President, on taking the chair, briefly observed, that the first 

 papers which were usually laid before the Section, were reports 

 drawn up at the request or at the expense of the Association. Of 

 these some had arrived, and others were promised in the course of 

 the week ; but he regretted to add, that one was prevented from be- 

 ing laid before them by afflicting circumstances in the family of the 

 gentleman who had kindly drawn it up. 



