REMARKS ON THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
231 
and clerks. He now proposes to erect courts of law, in the new part of the 
town, and has reserved a space of ground for that purpose, in an excellent 
situation; the old courts are in the most inconvenient locality possible. He 
also intends to build a new Exchange, and will take the old structures into his 
own hands ; at present there are “ some vested interests” standing in the way of 
what would be an immense benefit to the town, but they must give way in time 
to the public good. He had considerable opposition in doing away the old 
market, and the new one is now allowed to be the most complete in England ; 
perhaps not the largest, but the merits of a building are not to be tested by size. 
He builds Methodist chapels, theatres, rooms for exhibitions of paintings, or for 
any other purpose for which he receives orders. He has already built two fine 
Corn-exchanges, neither of which will be used by the Corn-merchants, for reasons 
unknown except to themselves. One of these, denominated the Central Exchange, 
was appropriated to the Association for its evening meetings ; it is a very fine 
building, with a most splendid roof, the effect of which I cannot describe, but it 
struck all persons who saw it as magnificent; it is capable of holding an immense 
number of persons; but as for hearing the speaker, that is altogether out of the 
question. About one-tenth of the audience, those who are early enough or 
fortunate enough to get on the front seats, can hear, but those who were 
within the pillars erected to support the roof, could hear nothing; these pil¬ 
lars, as far as the appearance of the building is concerned, perhaps add to the 
effect, and were put up by Grainger after the building was completed, as he 
feared the span of the roof was too great. For the purposes of a Corn-market 
they would have been an additional accommodation, but for music or any public 
purposes the rooms are of no use. It appears as if all the sound ascended and 
was lost in the roof. Every meeting held there was to me, and indeed to many 
others, a mere dumb show. Prof. Whewell, who was the most audible and the 
best speaker there, was only occasionally heard, not sufficiently so even to keep 
together the “ thread of his discourse.’’ The accession of numbers, though it 
shows the increasing interest taken in the Association, by no means adds to the 
comfort of the evening meetings ; we were much indebted to Mrs. Honey, who, 
by her attraction at Mr. Grainger’s elegant little theatre (the most perfect 
model of a theatre I was ever in, not even excepting those in London), took away 
every evening a portion of the superabundant scientifics. 
The exclusive attention shown to the aristocracy in the British Association 
cannot be too much deprecated; and if not altered, will one day prove its down¬ 
fall, as it is not likely that men will give their time and talents in support of 
a cause unless some acknowledgement is made to them in return. The ap¬ 
plause which the Newcastle people lavished on the Duke of Northumberland, 
and the anxiety they expressed to get only a peep at him or the Du:hess, would 
