Proceedings of the British Association. 



589 



ence to the tongues in musical boxes, &c. — Mr. Nasmyth believed 

 that the defects in axles, &c. arose in the manufacture, especially from 

 cold swaging and hammering, and also from over-heating in welding, 

 all of which causes injured the toughness of the iron. In small articles 

 he found great advantage from annealing ; and he believed that axles 

 might be annealed very cheaply, and would be more servicable. He 

 disliked the fashion of referring all unaccounted phenomena to magne- 

 tism and electricity, although he was convinced that very singular 

 electric phenomena accompanied the transit of locomotives and the 

 rapid generation of steam. With this was connected the non-oxi- 

 dization of rails, where the traffic was in one direction, and the rapid 

 oxydization when the same rails were travelled over in both directions, 

 as in the Blackwall railway. He had also observed that brasses, in 

 some cases, had from friction entered into coldfusion, — that is, at a heat 

 not perceptible to the eye, a complete disintegration of the molecular 

 structure had taken place, and he had seen the brass spread as if it had 

 been butter or pitch. He had no doubt that this arose from electricity, 

 but had not ascertained the fact from experiment. — Mr. Fairbairn 

 stated, that in hand-hammered rivets the heads frequently dropped 

 off, and presented a crystallized appearance, while those compressed by 

 machine were sound. He found that repeated percussions, from the 

 rivetting, hammering plates, &c, induced magnetism in iron boats. — 

 Mr. Vignoles could not, from his experience, agree to Mr. Nasmyth 's 

 theory of the oxidization of rails by single traffic, as the railway from 

 Newton to Wigan had been single for a long time, and was as bright as 

 the Manchester and Liverpool. The Blackwall railway was not an 

 analogous case, as no locomotives were employed. — Mr. Roberts dis- 

 believed the deterioration of axles by work ; he would rather trust 

 an old axle than a new one. He believed cold swaging and hammering 

 to be the chief causes of mischief. In fact, if axles were sent out sound 

 and well manufactured, they would rather improve by working. 



GENERAL MEETING.— THURSDAY EVENING. 

 Prof. Whewell, on taking the chair, referred to the honour which 

 had been conferred on him by choosing him to preside over the meeting 

 at Plymouth. He had now only to deliver the sceptre of authority to 

 Lord Francis Egerton. The torch of knowledge, which was kindled 

 by genius, had now been transferred from Plymouth to Manchester. 



Et quasi cursores musarum lampades tradunt, 

 which he would venture to translate — 



As in the torch-race of the Grecian youth, 



We pass from hand to hand the lamp of truth. 



