234 REMARKS ON THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
arrangement; they surmounted many obstacles, and were indefatigable in their 
attention to members, in giving them information, &c. The innkeepers made 
such exorbitant demands for providing an ordinary for .the members (it being 
indeed hinted to me that it was not in the power of any single one to do it), 
that the local committee determined to take that part of the business on them¬ 
selves, and erected an extensive “ cookery” at the “ Ford.” I understand that it 
was an object of great attraction to the fair sex, many of whom visited it. The 
soup, as well as some of the other provisions, was cooked in the county of Durham 
(at Gateshead). The room was very tastefully ornamented, being lined with 
alternate strips of crimson and white calico; daylight was entirely excluded, but 
the room was brilliantly illuminated, and round the walls were the names of 
Newton, Galileo, La Place, Cuvier, &c. &c., in gold letters on a green ground, 
encircled with branches of Olive, &c. The upper end of the room ended in a sort 
of semicircle, and there was a raised platform, for the chairman, &c., with a sort 
of canopy overhead. The whole effect was pleasing in the extreme, and the 
arrangements were excellent. I cannot say much in praise of the first day’s 
dinner, but I understand the following ones were much better. The Bishop of 
Durham was in the chair, and I was very much pleased with the lively interest 
he seemed to take in the proceedings of the Association from first to last; his 
heart seemed in the cause, and we were considerably indebted to him for his 
presence while the Duke of Northumberland was detained from our presence by 
fits of the gout. The Newcastle people provided numerous gaieties for the 
members. A ball was given on Monday night by the Mayor (T. E. Headlam, 
M.D.), to which, I believe, all the members were invited at the ordinary without 
reserve, but I did not attend. A fancy bazaar was held two days during the 
week, and a flower-show on Thursday. The flowers, I thought, were inferior, 
but some of the fruit was tolerably fine. 
On Saturday a meeting was held in the afternoon for the purpose of getting up 
a requisition for the formation of a Section for Phrenology in the Association; the 
meeting was held in the lecture-room of the Literary and Philosophical Society, 
and was very fully attended; indeed if the room had been twice the size it would 
have been filled. The meeting was addressed by Mr. H. C. Watson, and other 
gentlemen favourable to the cause. Mr. Watson’s speech gave great satisfaction. 
What the result of the meeting was, I did not hear, as I was unfortunately 
obliged to leave before the meeting concluded. 
On Monday there was a meeting held of those favourable to the cause of 
National Education, in the rooms that had been occupied by the Statistical 
Section. There was also a very interesting botanical excursion on the same day ; 
and as I have seen but a very short account of the plants which were found, you 
will perhaps find space for a more detailed list of them in your Chapter of Mis- 
