IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
[December, 1902.] 
Vol. VIII. No. 96. 
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timber in shipbuilding, so that the rise of iron had not only revolutionized shipbuilding, 
but had necessitated the rebuilding of our docks and harbours. The progress of the last 
century had been niainly due to the use which had been made of iron. 
The president then dealt at considerable length with the uses of timber and the 
question of forestry. Engineers in this country, he said, could not do without timber, nor, 
indeed, without much timber. To take mining, last year 1,879,810 pit-props were imported 
into this country. On railways in the United Kingdom there were in use about 90 million 
sleepers, and the annual consumption for renewals was about 3,750,000 sleepers a year. 
Much timber was also used by railways for other purposes, such as fencing, telegraph and 
signal posts, buildings, and rolling stock. Another large item was timber used for temporary 
work. For instance, at the Alexandra Dock at Hull the timber used in tire permanent work 
was 482,000 cubic feet, and that for the temporary work 1,500,000 cubic feet. The value 
of the sleepers in the road in the United Kingdom was about £iS,ooo,ooo, and the annual 
cost of renewals about £750,000; to this must be added a further expenditure of about 
£500,000 a year for timber used on railways for other purposes, givtng a total yearly 
expenditure of £1,250,000, exclusive of what was required for rolling stock. 
The average life of timber sleepers in this country appeared to be 24 years, which was 
not far short of that of steel rails. In this country we had not kept to timber sleepers 
solely on the ground of economy, but because they gave a better road, more comfortable to 
travel on and less destructive to the rolling stock, less liable to accidents from broken rails, 
and affording facilities for repairs and alterations for junctions and sidings. Nevertheless, 
unless the world looked to its forestry, an iron permanent way was an evil which would have to 
be adopted. The number of timber sleepers laid on all the railways of the world would not 
fall short of 1,495,000,000, and a low estimate of the value would be £iSo,ooo,ooo. 
Reckoning also the timber which was still required for engineering work, he thought 
it might be well to enquire whether the supply of the material was likely to continue to he 
equal to the demand. Mr. Ilawkshaw, who said that he had taken much interest in 
forestry for the last thirty years, during which he had had some practical experience of 
planting in this country, and of late years in growing and converting timber in Norway, 
described the forest areas of the world, and said that in this country we had less area under 
forest than any other country in Europe except Portugal, and our timber imports were, in 
weight, more than half the total timber imports of the timber-importing countries of Europe. 
The only country we could look to for the timber we require was Canada, which country had 
still 38 per cent, of its area forest, or nearly 800,000,000 acres, not more than one-third of 
which, however, was timber-producing. 
The United States was making increasing demands on Canada for timber, and Canada 
itself would soon be a large consumer of its own forest produce. In this country forestry 
had been neglected, and Great Britain might be regarded as the most backward of all 
civilized nations in recognizing the necessity of action with regard to forest resources. lie 
hoped that the labours of the committee appointed by the Board of Agriculture this year to 
enquire into the subject would result in steps being taken to remove this reproach. 
The president touched upon other subjects, and in some concluding remarks said that 
the advance in natural knowledge and the progress in our well-being during the last century 
had been the outcome of mechanics ; and daily the lives, not only of communities, but of 
individuals, became more dependent on machinery, so that, with the extension of engineering 
to all science and art and to all trade and commerce, it was inevitable that engineers 
would more and more tend to become specialists. 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. 
The usual monthly meeting of the Council of this society was held on the 5th ult. In 
the unavoidable absence of the President (H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, K.G.), 
Earl Spencer was called to the chair. 
The chief business before the Council was the consideration of the proposals of the Stock 
Prizes Committee for the composition of the prize-sheet for the society’s show of 1903, to be 
held at the new permanent showyard in London from June 23 to 27. 
Mr. Sanday reported that the committee had drafted a schedule in which all the 
established breeds of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs in the country were represented by 
classes and prizes. The amount of the annual grant, which had heretofore been made, for 
prizes at the show to be offered from the society’s own funds, had for a number of years been 
fixed at .£5,000, which had been supplemented by the local committees of the various 
districts which the society bad visited to an amount ranging from £1,000 to £1,500. Phis 
source of additional prize-money was, of course, no longer available under the altered 
circumstances of a fixed showyard in London ; and, as it was the view of the Stock Prizes 
Committee that the amount of prize-money should be at least equal to what had been offered 
before, he now asked for a grant of £6,500 for next year’s prizes. The committee had in 
the draft preliminary prize-sheet made an allocation of this amount amongst the different 
breeds of live stocks, giving as far as possible an equal number of classes to all the leading 
breeds. lie was hopeful that offers of additional prizes might be received from a substantial 
number of various breed societies which now existed in all parts of the country for the 
purpose of encouraging the particular breeds they represented. A sub-committee had 
conferred with members of the governing bodies of these breed societies on Monday last, 
at which 36 distinct breeds of stock were represented. The representatives had expressed 
their appreciation of the society’s action in cohvening the conference, and a general desire on 
their part had been manifested to co-operate with the society. The committee thought that 
exhibitors of live stock might fairly be asked to pay an entry fee to cover the erection of the 
shedding and the cost of forage for the animals, and the fee for each entry of live stock had, 
therefore, been fixed at £1 for members and non-members double. After discussion the 
recommendations of the Stock Prizes Committee were adopted with four dissentients. 
Mr. Frankish brought up a report from the Implement Committee, which was adopted 
by the Council, and which recommended that the charges for space for agricultural articles in 
the Implement Department for the meeting of 1903 should be fixed at 4s. per foot for 
ordinary shedding, 10s. per foot for high shedding, 12s. 6d. per foot for machinery In 
motion, and 10s. per foot for special shedding: 
On the motion of Sir John Thorold, chairman of the Committee of Selection, 
Mr. Percy Crutchley was appointed hon. director of the show of 1903, and Mr. Sanday was 
appointed steward of forage for the same meeting. 
Mr. Dugdale presented a report from the Dairy Committee, which recommended that 
prizes should now be offered for wool, hops, etc. They also recommended that competitions 
of buttennakers should be held in the dairy in the showyaid.. 
Mr. Crutchley, Chairman of the Site Committee, reported that the London and North 
Western Railway Company had resolved to extend their line from Willesden, and to 
construct a passenger and goods station on the north side of the canal close to the north-east 
corner of the showyard. Estimates for the construction of the roads and sewers, inside the 
showyard, and for other works connected with the preparation of the ground, were 
recommended for acceptance. 
Mr. Cecil Parker presented a report by Professor McFadyean to the Veterinary 
Committee on the outbreaks of contagious diseases of animals during the last four weeks for 
which returns had been published. The report stated that the outbreaks of anthrax 
numbered 33, and the animals attacked 47, as against 52 outbreaks and 58 animals attacked 
in the corresponding four weeks of last year. The outbreaks of glanders numbered 87, with 
172 animals attacked, last year’s corresponding figures being 106 and 195 respectively. Only 
7S outbreaks of swine fever had been notified, as against 103 outbreaks in the corresponding 
period of last year. No fresh case of rabies had been detected since the last meeting. 
The Council adjourned till December 10. 
THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY: 
A meeting of the Society was held on the nth ult., at which Professor John 
Milne, F.R.S., read a paper on “World-shaking Earthquakes.” The President, 
Sir Clements Markham, F.R.S., was in the chair. 
Professor Milne, in his paper, divided earthquakes into two groups — first, those which 
disturbed continental areas, or even the world as a whole, which he called macroseismic, 
and, secondly, local earthquakes disturbing a few miles’ radius, or not more than 100 or 200 
miles, which he called microseismic. Evidence of the existence of large earthquakes was 
sometimes afforded, even though they could not be felt : for example, in 1755, Ike motion of 
the water in lakes and ponds observed in England, Scandinavia, and North America was 
attributed to the earthquake at Lisbon. Another form of evidence was sometimes discovered 
by astronomers, as in May, 1S77, M. Nyren observed disturbances in the level of the axis of 
the transit at Pulkova, which were held to be due to an earthquake about an hour and a 
quarter earlier at Iquique. 
The first instrumental record obtained by the writer of an earthquake which could not 
be felt was in March, 18S4, and was the result of what might be termed “slow earth- 
quakes.” A long series of observations justified him in saying, in 18S3, that every large 
earthquake might be recorded at any point on the land surface of the globe. Thus a 
new field was open to seismologists, and recording stations were now to be found in many 
countries, the most complete organization working in connection with a committee of the 
British x\ssociation. 
A large earthquake seemed to propagate a series of waves in all directions over the 
world’s surface. Describing in detail the character of this motion, he said that the large 
waves of earthquakes seemed to pass beneath a country like ours with the character of 
an ocean swell. The matter was still in process of investigation and there were reasons 
for and against any conclusions which might be reached. It would appear that the effective 
rigidity of the world was about twice that of steel, and it was easy to measure the difference 
in time between the arrival of preliminary tremors and of large waves — the former reaching 
a place So degrees from their origin in about fifteen minutes, whilst large waves took about fifty 
minutes. The distance ascertained from several distant stations, the origin might be easily 
located. 
Another method of ascertaining origin was the difference of the times of arrival at 
different stations of large waves, and by these methods the origin of the world-shaking 
earthquakes for 1S99, 1900, and 1901 had been determined. 
Professor Milne established a relationship between the distribution of the origin of large 
earthquakes and the pronounced irregularities on the surface of the earth by a number of 
illustrations taken from the Alaskan region, which had yielded large seismograms to the 
Cape of Good Hope, which was antipodean to Alaska, the Cordillerean region, the Antilles, 
the Andes, Japan, and other parts of the world. He also gave an historic account, dating 
from 1692, of the mass displacements which had been caused by great earthquakes. As 
examples, in 1855, in New Zealand, 4,600 square miles were raised I foot to 9 feet ; and in 
1S97, in Assam, according to Mr. R. D. Oldham, 10,000 square miles of country were 
displaced possibly 16 feet along a thrust plane. He also analysed at some length the 
connection between large earthquakes and volcanic activity; and again, starting from 1692, 
gave instances of the seismic convulsions which apparent^ resulted in these reliefs of volcanic 
strain. So recently as the early part of last summer the symptoms of volcanic and seismic 
activities in the Western Hemisphere culminated in the terrible explosions in Martinique 
and St. Vincent. 
Professor Milne also gave the result of enquiries into the relationship between world- 
shaking earthquakes and unusual movements of magnetic needles. A comparison of the 
varying number at different periods of small earthquakes showed that the number recorded 
increased : but this was evidence not of the growth of seismic activity, but of more 
general observation. Nearly all large earthquakes were followed by a long series of after- 
shocks. For example, after the disturbance of October 28, 1901, which had its origin in 
Central Japan and which might be regarded as a typical world-shaking-earthquake, 
during the first twelve months 2,956 shocks were noted. Next year the number fell to 391. 
The conclusion seemed to be that in any given year there were 27,500 shocks which could 
be recorded in epifocal districts, and that, on the average, there annually were 30,000 
small earthquakes. From seismograms obtained in epifocal areas measures of earthquake 
energy had been obtained. The result was that engineers and builders were now able to 
build so as to withstand known forces, and in Japan, in particular, effectual methods had 
been adopted to resist the severe shakings to which that country was subject. The 
Japanese Government had so far recognised the importance of seismology as to establish 
professorships to encourage its study. 
THE AFRICAN SOCIETY. 
The first general meeting of the African Society was held on the 5th ult., when Lord 
Avebury (the President) occupied the chair. 
Lord Avebury said that Africa had three great claims upon their attention. Of all 
continents it was, firstly, the least known ; secondly, the least civilised ; and thirdly, it was 
the one for which they were most responsible ; So far from making a profit England had 
never attempted to derive any pecuniary benefit from any of her colonial possessions. They 
would be fortunate if they recovered from the goldfields of the Transvaal one-half the expense 
it had cost them to free them from the corrupt tyranny of Mr. Kruger, and secure them a 
voice in the government of the country to which they contributed almost the whole of the 
income. In fact, in the English sphere of influence they acted as trustees. They sought no 
benefit from the nations for themselves, and claimed no advantage over other countries. If 
Customs duties were levied their manufacturers paid the same as those of other countries. 
But was this state of things fair to them or just to the natives ? They admitted German, French, 
and Portuguese goods into their Crown Colonies on the same terms as their own, but the 
Germans, French and Portuguese attempted to exclude ours by heavy duties, and in some 
cases by actual prohibition. The general policy pursued by all European nations except their 
own of imposing differential duties in support of their commerce was one against which they 
might justly remonstrate, not only on behalf of the merchants and manufacturers, but in justice 
to the natives themselves. Of fair and friendly rivalry they could not complain. The par- 
tition of Africa could only be justified if the nations of Europe regarded their possessions as 
a sacred trust ; if they endeavoured to lift the black pall which had so long overshadowed the 
“ Dark Continent,” and to brighten the lot of the unfortunate natives for so many years the 
victims of tyranny and oppression, but for whom they might venture to hope that brighter 
times were now in prospect. 
THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY. 
The first ordinary meeting of the present session of the Royal Statistical Society was 
held on the iSth ult., Major P. G. Craigie, C.B., the president, in the chair. 
The President, in the course of his annual address, said that the foremost topic to which 
the rule and plummet of the statistician had to be applied was that of the numbers and 
