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in 1842, when Lord Francis Egerton, presided, and had 

 the pleasure of being surrounded by a company num- 

 bering 1,345. From Manchester the Association went 

 over to the Sister Isle and met, at Cork, under the chair- 

 manship of the Earl of Eosse, F. E. S., after which it 

 returned to the place of its nativity, where the Eev. G. 

 Peacock, D.D., filled the presidential chair. From 1845 

 to 1855, the chair was occupied by Sir John F. W. 

 Herschell, Sir Eoderick Murchison, Sir Eobert Inglis, 

 the Marquis of Northampton, the Eev. T. E. Eobinson, 

 D.D., Sir David Brewster, Mr. G. B. Airy (Astronomer 

 Eoyal,) Lieut. General Sabine, the Earl of Harrowby, 

 and the Duke of Argyll. During these years the 

 attendance varied considerably, from 715 in 1851 to 

 2,133 in 1855. 



Under the presidency of Professor Daubeny, M. D., 

 at Cheltenham, in 1856, the meetings were attended by 

 1,115; but that number was almost doubled, in 1857, 

 at Dublin, when there were 2,022 members and asso- 

 ciates present. Notwithstanding the presence of the 

 Prince Consort, at the Aberdeen meeting, in 1858, there 

 was a falling off: 1,698, in number. It ran up again to 

 2,564 at Oxford in the following year, when the chair 

 was occupied by Lord Wrottisley. At Manchester, in 

 1861, and Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1863, the two most 

 successful meetings of the association in regard to 

 numbers have been held. Dr. William Fairbairn, F. E. 

 S., at the former, and Sir W. G. Armstrong, at the latter 

 town, had the honour of presiding over 3,139 and 3,335 

 persons respectively. Since that time the number have 

 not varied greatly from year to year, but have main- 

 tained a comparatively steady balance between 1,856 

 and 2,802, with the exception however, of Plymouth 

 in 1877, when there were only 1,217 persons present, 

 and Sheffield in 1879, when the attendance numbered 

 1,404 only. During these years the presidential chair 

 was occupied, amongst others, by Dr. Eichard Owen, 

 D.C.L. ; the Eev. Professor Willis; Sir Charles Ly ell, 



