368 
REPORT—1854. 
which bind the different parts of the solar system together in cosmical con¬ 
nexion. These open to us a field of research which is the more inviting be¬ 
cause they appear to be regulated by laws of uniform action to the extreme 
limits to which their agency can be traced. It is possible, therefore, that 
laws which we may establish by means of phenomena within our own imme¬ 
diate sphere, may reach and explain the phtenomena of other spheres which 
might otherwise appear to us veiled in impenetrable mystery; and in like 
manner, laws which we may first devclope by studying them in the mutual 
relation which they produce between our own and* other bodies, may possi¬ 
bly give us an earlier or a more perfect command than we might otherwise 
have acquired of their controlling agencies in our own plauet. We have 
been long familiar with gravity as a force of this description, and with its 
extension to every part of the solar system, not to speak of the regions be¬ 
yond. We have hitherto known magnetism only as a telluric force, of much 
less apparent simplicity than gravity', and greatly'requiring a key to enable 
us to apprehend its laws, as well as its purposes in the general ceconomy ® 
nature. To improve our knowledge in these respects was the object of t e 
Magnetic Observatories. But if, as we appear to have reason to believe, we 
are to view magnetism not only as a telluric but also as a cosmicd ' or ^' 
the interest and importance of our inquiries regarding it must undoubtef } 
be viewed as greatly augmented. 
Liverpool, Sept. 25, 1854. 
Postscript, Sept. 26, 1854. 
If our highly valued member, Dr. Lloyd, had not been unfortunately P r ^. 
vented by, I trust slight, remains of illness from coming to Liverpool 
my own voice and strength had permitted me, I had wished and P ur l l0se |,| 
have added, after the close of the above address, a few words. They " 
nave been on the great services rendered by him towards the attain ,ne . 
the data on which the above results are based ; more especially by t“ e ®^ 
and important aid given by his ability, skill, and inventive genius (0 , 
instruments and methods of observation with which our Colonial 0b se ^ 
ries have worked. A full explanation of these would be far too l° n ^: U fc 
n £ e< ^ es3 • suffice it to say', that of the instructions from the C*\. „jj 
o t ie Royal Society' which I have referred to, much the greatest I 11 ’’ ; v en 
. U ?. 0 ’ a,,( * besides this, his kind personal instructions were f ree /Liijl 
ni ose 0 cers who were the first directors of three out of the four 
fnrVhJt °y ies ‘ ut more than all, it is altogether to him that we are 1,1 r the 
Srt n n ?- e, r by 'T hich the variations of the vertical compone? 
the deeSf ? av ,® been ob *erved, without which the vafl*^ 
tiinorl n i T and - ° f the horizontal force could alone have been full) u ld 
have tpn n ! e Y ariat, o ns both of the inclination and of the total for* 
have been only imperfectly made known to us._E. S. 
