4 
BRITISH ASSOCIATION.- 1835 . 
laws of the atmosphere may be deduced*—with such objects 
before them* the greater mastery they may possess in science 
the more eager will be the interest which they take in your 
meetings* and the more probable it is that you will enjoy the 
advantage of their counsel* and the communication of their 
spirit* than which there is nothing more essential to give life 
and consistence to your proceedings. ” 
This we are persuaded is the vital principle on which the 
permanence of the Association depends. Should it ever be 
lost sight of* should the resources of the institution come to 
be expended chiefly on subordinate objects* and its recom¬ 
mendations directed to little points* instead of the great 
questions which interest men of comprehensive views in the 
different departments of science* the consequence will be that 
the meetings will be left entirely to men of second-rate ac¬ 
quirements, and that they will speedily fall into contempt. 
We have reason to hope that the next volume of the Trans¬ 
actions of the Association* which we are informed will soon 
appear, may bear evidence of a continued attention to this 
principle; in the mean time the answer contained in Mr. 
Hamilton’s address to the objection of a writer in the Edin¬ 
burgh Review against the exercise of the influence of the 
Association in obtaining from the Government a grant of 
money for the reduction of observations on the sun* moon* 
and planets* made at Greenwich by Bradley and. his succes¬ 
sors* sufficiently shows how judiciously it has commenced its 
operations. The astronomer royal of Ireland informs us that 
the particular undertaking thus objected to has afforded the 
most unmixed gratification to those cultivators of science 
who are interested in the progress of the highest department 
of astronomy* and he quotes the opinion of Bessel to the 
following effect: u To me, considering all these things toge¬ 
ther* it appears to be of the highest moment towards our fu¬ 
ture progress in the knowledge of the solar system* to reduce 
into catalogues* as conveniently as can be done, according to 
one common system of elements* the places of all the planets 
observed since 1750; than which labour I believe that no 
other now will be of greater use to astronomy.” 
We must refer to the Reports of the Association for 
further proofs* in discussions of tables of the tides and other 
important investigations, that there is no want of enlarged 
views in its Recommendations and in the expenditure of its 
now considerable funds. As long as this continues to be the 
case we have no doubt that, meet where it will* its meetings 
will attract a large proportion of those who are sincerely 
devoted to science for its own sake* and who have a just un- 
