1879.J 



President 's Address. 



415 



adopted before the end of the year, there would still remain nearly 

 half the Session of our Society after complying with the necessary 

 formalities. 



At the risk of becoming tedious on matters of internal detail, I 

 venture to mention another subject. It has often been suggested 

 that our weekly meetings might be rendered more interesting if the 

 communications were more often accompanied by experiments, or by 

 other modes of optical illustration. The Council has hitherto met 

 these requirements by supplying, from time to time, such appliances 

 as appeared necessary. But that important element, the electric light, 

 and batteries on a large scale, have generally been avoided, on account 

 of the inconveniences attending them. It has, however, been thought 

 that authors would be much encouraged to illustrate their communi- 

 cations experimentally if the main appliances were known to be always 

 ready to hand. 



Again, the mode of lighting our meeting-room by means of sun- 

 lights has proved inconvenient to many of our Fellows, on account of 

 its heat and glare ; and it is considered undesirable to adopt ordinary 

 gas-burners in its stead for fear of injury to the pictures. We are, 

 however, no longer driven to this alternative, as we may now look to 

 the electric light as a possible mode of illumination. 



These considerations have led me to make an offer, as I now do, to 

 the Society, of a gas-engine of eight horse-power, which, in the opinion 

 of those best qualified to judge, will be amply sufficient both for ex- 

 perimental illustration and for illumination. And I have much 

 pleasure in adding that, on hearing of this offer, our Fellow, 

 Mr. Siemens, immediately expressed his wish to add a dynamo- 

 machine, or rather a pair of such machines, of improved construc- 

 tion (one for alternate, the other for direct currents), the principle 

 of which he had already contemplated bringing before the Society. 

 The other requisites, such as an optical lamp and a few instruments 

 of frequent use, will doubtless soon follow. But, in proposing 

 thus to promote experimental illustration of papers read before 

 the Society, I think it right to add that I do not contemplate, 

 nor do I think it desirable, that the Society should in any sense 

 establish a laboratory; all that is here intended is, that the main 

 appliances for illustration should be found ready to hand here, while 

 the special apparatus would be furnished by the authors themselves. 



If these proposals meet with the approbation of the Society, the 

 experiment may shortly be tried ; aud I have little doubt that, with 

 the advice of the Council on matters of detail, the undertaking may be 

 brought to a successful issue. 



(3.) The Government Grant and Fund. — The particulars of the grants 

 made from these two funds will be published as usual in our " Pro- 

 ceedings," with the report of the Anniversary Meeting. Some of the 



