PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 13 



"Mecanique Celeste," and " Hegel's Philosophy," and the 

 epitome of all laboratories and observatories, with their 

 results, in his single head, is but a pair of spectacles, behind 

 which there is no eye." Let me not, as one of those 

 presidents, come under this withering condemnation, but 

 proceed to wonder what will come next, as the fruits of 

 science and engineering, no matter how unsuccessful I may 

 be. The field is great, the secrets of nature, still to be 

 solved, are inexhaustible, an ever larger and larger number 

 of fertile brains are continuously at work, in discovery and 

 invention, as the various patent offices shew ; and these 

 fresh brains start from an ever widening vantage ground 

 of accumulated research and experience, which was absent 

 in a great measure, as a support, to the giants of science 

 and engineering of the old time. 



First in importance, perhaps, though owing to practical 

 difficulties, still far off, is the conversion of the working of 

 our main line railways to traction by means of electricity, 

 in which great force of nature, the physicist has inspired 

 the engineer. In this application of it, it is to be hoped 

 that the initial mistake of placing power houses in wrong 

 sites will be avoided. It is well to remember that the 

 electric fluid can be conveyed cheaper than coal, within 

 limits, so that the power should originate near the coal 

 mine. The old proverb, of the uselessness of sending coals 

 to Xewcastle, must take the form, rather, of the waste of 

 carrying them away from such great sources of supply. 

 Electricity, applied to long distance railway traffic, may 

 also relieve us of the waste now going on, by which over 

 200 tons of train are moved, in order to carry 2 or 3 tons 

 of passengers. Greater separation must also be made 

 between express train service, and that of the slower 

 passenger and goods. It was stated recently that, on the 

 Midland Railway of England, a large proportion of the 



