IS IT A FACT? 



27 



IS IT A FACT? 



ABSTRACT OF MR. PENGELLY'S PAPER. 



The author commenced by remarking that Every one who has 

 had occasion to verify a statement, or has watched the progress of 

 a story as it passes from one person to another, must have had his 

 faith shaken in much that passes as history, and have felt himself 

 drifting more or less rapidly towards that state which asks re- 

 specting, at least, very many a statement, ' Is it a Fact?'" 



Having recommended the game of "Russian Scandal" to those 

 who wished to cultivate the verifying spirit, he proceeded to notice 

 discrepancies and untruths arising from subjectiveness, partizanship, 

 untruthfulness in "small things," a tendency to "improve" or 

 "complete" narratives, a habit of bolstering up favourite but 

 slenderly- supported hypotheses, a tendency to generalize from in- 

 sufficient or ill-understood data, the introduction of the trading 

 instead of the scientific spirit, newspaper reports of technical 

 questions, the inconclusiveness of "legal evidence," and untrust- 

 worthy current opinions and beliefs. 



The several positions were illustrated and enforced by instances 

 which had occurred within the author's experience and reading, 

 the latter including the works of Bede, Florence and William of 

 Worcester, Carew, Camden, Boece, Gerard, and others. 



A Paper will be read on December 9th, on 



BESSEMER PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING STEEL. 

 By Mr. J. Caiikeet, c.e. 



PROGRAMME. 



Introduction — Popular idea of the Bessemer process — Early 

 methods of producing Steel— Patented processes of Jklusliet, Krupp, 

 and others — Decarburization by blowing atmosplieric Air through 

 molten Pig Iron, commonly known as the Bessemer process — 

 Description of the Apparatus — Manufacture of Bessemer Steel 

 Rails, Engine and Carriage Tyres, Crank Axles, &c., &c.— The 

 Siemens-Martin process — Conclusion. 



