290 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
British Association for the Advancement of Science, held at 
Manchester, Sept. 1861. 
The thirty-first meeting of the British Association for the Advancement 
of Science was held this year at Manchester, under the presidency of Wil- 
liam Fairbairn, Esq., C.E., LL.D., F.R.S., and in all its social bearings 
at least it has proved a great success. Upwards of 3000 members were 
enrolled, and the receipts amounted to L.3920. Last meeting at Man-. 
chester the members were only 1316, the receipts L.2161. The conse- 
quence is that the money recommended this year to be bestowed in tlie 
interests of science amounts to L.2363, while last year it was only L.1395, 
More than a half of the larger sum, however, is absorbed by these three 
objects, the Kew Committee, L.650; the Balloon Committee, L.200; and 
Index to Reports, L.600. 
The first meeting was that of the General Committee, when Professor 
Phillips, the Assistant General Secretary, read the Report by the Council, 
and Mr Gassiot presented the Report of the Kew Committee. In the 
former, the point of chief interest is the retirement of Professor Walker, 
and the election of Mr Hopkins to be General Secretary, with the an- 
nouncement of Professor Phillips, that it was necessary for him to pre- 
pare to withdraw also. 
From the report of the Kew Committee, we make-the following extract, 
which records the progress that was made in the deeply interesting field 
of heliography, during the grand solar eclipse of June 18, 1860 :— 
It will be remembered that, at the suggestion of the Astronomer Royal, 
the Admiralty had placed at the disposal of the expedition of astronomers 
H.M. ship Himalaya, and that the Government Grant Committee of 
the Royal Society had voted the sum of L.150 for the purpose of defray - 
ing the expenses of transporting the Kew heliograph, with a staff of as- 
sistants, to Spain. As the scheme became matured, it was deemed desir- 
able to extend considerably the preparations originally contemplated, and 
uctual experience subsequently proved that no provision which had been 
made could have been safely omitted. Originally it was thought that a 
mere temporary tent for developing the photographs might have answered 
the purpose; but on maturing the scheme of operations, it became evident 
that a complete photographic observatory, with its dark developing room, 
cistern of water, sink, and shelves to hold the photographs, would be 
absolutely necessary to ensure success. An observatory was therefore 
constructed in such a manner that it could be taken to pieces and made 
into packages of small weight for easy transport, and at the same time be 
readily put together again on the locality selected. The house, when com- 
pleted, weighed 1248 lb., and was made up in eight cases. Altogether the 
packages, including house and apparatus, amounted in number to thirty, 
and in weight to 34 ewt. Besides the heliograph, the apparatus comprised 
a small transit theodolite for determining the position of the meridian, 
and ascertaining local time, and the latitude and longitude of the station ; 
and also a very fine three-inch achromatic telescope, by Dallmeyer, for 
the optical observation of the phenomena of the eclipse. Complete sets 
of chemicals were packed in duplicate in separate boxes, to guard against 
failure through a possible accident to one set of the chemicals. Collodion 
