Septembeb 19, 1884.] 



SCIENCE, 



287 



King and Mrs. Hallett discussed the paper, express- 

 ing dissatisfaction with the act, and saying women 

 could take care of themselves. Mr. Robert C. Adams 

 of Montreal read a paper on the phosphate indus- 

 try of Canada. In 1883 it amounted to 17,500 tons. 

 Phosphate lands have sold as high as $1,250 per acre. 

 Mr. Hughes, Mr. Martin, and Sir Richard Temple dis- 

 cussed the paper. A valuable paper on the fisheries 

 of Canada, by Mr. L. Z. Joncas, was read by Mr. 

 Thomas White, M.P. 1 The paper was discussed by 

 Mr. Cornelius Walford and Mr. C. W. Smiley of the 

 U. S. fish-commission. Several forestry papers closed 

 the sitting, — Professor Brown of Ontario, on the 

 application of scientific and practical arboriculture 

 to Canada; Mr. J. P. Hughes, on the necessity of 

 forest preservation; Mr. A. T. Drummond of Mont- 

 real, on the distribution of Canadian trees; and Mr. 

 F. B. Hough, on the future policy of the forest man- 

 agement of the United States. Mr. Walford re- 

 marked that forest culture in England pays four per 

 cent profit, and in the United States seven per cent. 

 Mr. Caruthers of the British museum also made re- 

 marks. The anthropometric committee presented a 

 printed report, including observations on eyesight 

 by Mr. C. Roberts. This report contained valuable 

 tables. On Tuesday Mr. Cornelius Walford spoke 

 upon land and water communication. Mr. E. Wragge 

 and Alexander McDougall presented a joint paper 

 upon the same topic. A paper by Emile de Lave- 

 leye, upon land laws, was read by the secretary. Miss 

 Maria Rye, Mrs. Burt, and Mrs. Joyce each read 

 a paper on female emigration, C. Le Neve Foster 

 read a paper on the relative dangers of coal and 

 metal mining. Many of the papers were presented 

 by the authors in printed form, and printed abstracts 

 of many others were circulated. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF 

 MECHANICAL SCIENCE. 



The mechanical science section of the British 

 Association appears to be in a prosperous condition, 

 as was intimated, indeed, in the opening paragraph 

 of the address of its president, Sir Frederick Bram- 

 well : this is due, no doubt, to the fact that its scope 

 is much wider than its name implies. The president's 

 address was instructive as well as witty ; it was in the 

 form of an apology for the practical character of the 

 section, and exhibited in detail the interdependence 

 between it and the others, showing it to be comple- 

 mentary to them; but the distinguished author did 

 not fail to scatter valuable suggestions throughout, 

 and to indicate some lines of past and future prog- 

 ress. The address, however, contains no carefully 

 digested summary of engineering progress for the 

 past year or up to the present time ; and though many 

 valuable papers, prepared by request, summarize prog- 

 ress in particular directions, the general scientific 

 reader must seriously regret the fact. The various 

 criticisms upon the hampering action of the govern- 



1 This paper will be published in the U. S. fish-commission 

 bulletin. 



ment toward engineering enterprises, such as electric 

 lightning, the telephone, the Channel tunnel, brought 

 out the strong feeling of the English members, that 

 the government should confine itself to governing. 

 The courtesy shown the president in the delivery and 

 acceptance of his address was a pleasant feature : the 

 presidents of the association and of the physical sec- 

 tion, as well as the sectional vice-presidents and secre- 

 taries, were upon the platform, and the former moved 

 a vote of thanks. In doing so Lord Rayleigh com- 

 mented upon the Channel tunnel and other govern- 

 ment interference ; and was followed by Vice-president 

 Thurston, who seconded the motion, expressing the 

 American sympathy with the obituary notice of Wil- 

 liam Siemens, and cordially inviting the members to 

 take part in Section D at Philadelphia. 



The multiplication of section officers is to be noted ; 

 there being no less than eight vice-presidents, four 

 secretaries, and a large sectional committee, among 

 whom appear the following gentlemen from the 

 United States: Messrs. Coon, Emery, Hoadley, 

 Leavitt, and Woodbury, and Professors Barker, Bell, 

 Rogers, and Webb. 



Many of the papers read were 'progress papers,' 

 containing masses of detail of little interest to the 

 general reader. The importance and extent of some 

 of them render it a matter of regret that they were 

 not generally in print, and that they were presented 

 in so hurried a manner. In many cases, an abstract 

 setting forth the main features of the paper, and 

 comparing and emphasizing the main facts, with 

 illustrations and graphical representations of results, 

 would be far more effective when time is limited; 

 and though such abstracts involve labor, they are of 

 great permanent value to the paper. 



The papers were classified as follows : First session, 

 civil engineering; second, mechanical engineering; 

 third, electrical papers ; fourth, miscellaneous. Some 

 of them were prepared by request to describe Ameri- 

 can- practice, and some attempt was made to have 

 comparative English papers. 



Mr. B. Baker described the Forth Bridge. The ex- 

 pected cost of this enormous structure is £1,600,000. 

 Excluding the half-mile of approach viaducts, the 

 bridge will be over a mile long, consisting of three 

 cantilevers, each over 1,500 feet long, and two con- 

 necting trusses of 350 feet each. Cantilevers stand 

 on the two (Queensferry and Fife) banks, and one 

 rests on the only island (Inchgarvie) midway; they 

 are to be 340 feet high by 130 wide at their centres, 

 tapering to 40 feet by 35 at their ends, where they 

 sustain the ends of the connecting trusses. The 

 material is steel, to be put together (after the English 

 fashion) by riveting as each plate is placed in posi- 

 tion. Work is now being done on the piers, and 

 some steel is ready for the superstructure; nearly 

 50,000 tons will be required. The bridge leaves two 

 arched water-ways of 1,700 feet, with 150 feet clear 

 central height at high water, and a half arch at each 

 side. It was commenced about twenty months ago, 

 and no difficulties are anticipated. Fourteen vessels, 

 seventy-two steam and other cranes, and twenty- 

 eight steam-engines, with numerous special machines, 



