BRITTSII ASSOCIATION. 
385 
MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 
Horticultural Society of London. —An extraordinary meeting 
was held on the 16th instant, and attended by several of the nobility 
and gentry, members of the society. Dr. Lindley announced the pre¬ 
sents to the society lately received, among which were, “ The Transac¬ 
tions of the Horticultural Society of Vienna,” and “ Flora Batavia,” 
from the King of Holland. Among the flowers exhibited were many 
fine dahlias, a Gladiolus prceceps , a double yellow Datura , a Pardan- 
thus dementis , Menatea cordifolia, Bignonia grandijlora , &c. Of 
fruit there was the Cannon-Hall Muscat grape, Duchess of Olden- 
burgh and Kerry pippins, and the Manx and Dutch codlins; also a 
Rosanna peach, which ripens readily on standards. Plants from the 
gardens were, the Escallonia Montevidensis, Linaria Dalmatica , 
Amaryllis belladonna , and Mimulus cardinalis; the last-named a 
new and splendid species. 
British Association. —At the meeting recently held in the city 
of Dublin many scientific lectures were given, and much interesting 
matter relating to both art and science was promulgated. Among 
other matters, Mr. Babbage stated that he had been led by an acci¬ 
dental circumstance to the contemplation of a subject of so simple and 
definite a nature, that it could be grasped by ordinary understanding, 
and might be made a matter of instruction and profitable research by 
many of the intelligent individuals then present. The absolute esta¬ 
blishment of a new step in any branch of knowledge, he did not think 
of so much intrinsic value as the train of reasoning which led to it: the 
mind dwells upon the one as an axiom, while the contemplation of the 
many circumstances which were found necessary to sustain or confirm 
it, opened a wide field for the exerc'srru.f the mental faculties, and sup¬ 
plied them during the investigation with much valuable information. 
The possibility of ascertaining the age of certain trees by the circles or 
layers of the wood, had been discussed and proved before one of the 
sections ” [[of the Association] “ on the previous day. This subject 
had reference to the one upon which he was about to treat. Sitting 
one evening with a friend under the shade of an old ash tree, it became 
the subject of conversation ; and after taking into consideration some of 
the circumstances affecting the growth of trees, the idea forcibly struck 
him, that the superior width of one layer or circle of the wood, as com¬ 
pared with another, might, by analogy, be made the means of determin- 
VOL. IV. — NO. LII. T T 
