302 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
divides into two parts. The northern branch takes eight hours to 
reach Aberdeen, nine hours to reach Leith, fourteen hours to reach 
Hull, and twenty hours to reach London. The southern branch 
takes seven hours to reach Portsmouth, and seven hours to reach 
Liverpool. 
The character of the winds prevailing at the time would, with a 
little experience, give a good idea of whether the coming tide 
would be felt most on the east or the west coast, and also of its 
probable height at different places. 
The knowledge of the approach of an extraordinarily high tide 
might also occasionally be of some use in the preservation of pro- 
perty from its effects. 
In these days of steam I am sure that information about tides 
would be quite as generally appreciated as information about winds, 
by both merchants and sailors. I believe that the Royal Society 
of Edinburgh would do a great practical service to the shipping 
interests of this country if they could prevail on the Meteorological 
Department of the Board of Trade to arrange that notice should be 
sent to all the principal ports of Britain, not only of the expected 
winds, but also of the expected tides, whether unusually high or 
unusually low. The storms of wind may or may not arrive — for 
the wind “bloweth where it listeth but the tidal waves flow and 
ebb without fail, with the speed of the hurricane, but the silence of 
the grave. 
The following Gentlemen were elected Fellows of the 
Society : — 
J. Samson Gamgee, Esq., Surgeon to Queen’s Hospital, Birmingham. 
Rev. D. T. K. Drummond, B.A. Oxon. 
Rev. Joseph Taylor Goodsir. 
Major John H. M. Shaw Stewart, Royal Engineers. 
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