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OF THE
FORTY-NINTH MEETING
BRITISH ASSOCIATION
FOR THE
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE;
HELD AT
SHEFFIELD IN AUGUST 1879.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1879.
Office of the Association: 22 ALBEMARLE STREET, London, W.
LONDON: PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE AND PARLIAMENT STREET
BR 1879
CONTENTS.
OBJECTS and Rules of the Association
Places and Times of Meeting and Officers from commencement.....
Presidents and Secretaries of the Sections of the Association from com-
Page
xxi
xxviii
mencement....
Evening Lectures.......
XXXV
xlviii
Lectures to the Operative Classes................
Officers of Sectional Committees present at the Sheffield Meeting ...
Treasurer's Account..........
li
liii
Table showing the Attendance and Receipts at Annual Meetings......
Officers and Council, 1879-80......
Report of the Council to the General Committee......
Appendix I.-Correspondence with the Treasury about the Natural History
Collections
Appendix II.-Report of the Patent Law Committee........
Recommendations of the General Committee for Additional Reports and
Researches in Science........
.........
Synopsis of Money Grants.........
Places of Meeting in 1880 and 1881..........
.....
lxxvi
General Statement of Sums paid on account of Grants for Scientific
Purposes..
lxxvii
Arrangement of the General Meetings.....
lxxxvi
Address by the President, Professor G. J. ALLMAN, M.D., LL.D., F.R.SS.
L. and E., M.R.I.A., Pres. L.S.................
REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Sir WILLIAM THOMSON, Pro-
fessor CLERK MAXWELL, Professor TAIT, Dr. C. W. SIEMENS, Mr. F. J.
BRAMWELL, and Mr. J. T. BOTTOMLEY, for commencing Secular Experiments
upon the Elasticity of Wires. Drawn up by J. T. BOTTOMLEY
A 2
33
1
Fourth Report of the Committee, consisting of Dr. JOULE, Professor Sir WIL-
LIAM THOMSON, Professor TAIT, Professor BALFOUR STEWART, and Professor
J. CLERK MAXWELL, appointed for the purpose of effecting the Determina-
tion of the Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
Report of the Committee appointed for the purpose of endeavouring to pro-
cure Reports on the Progress of the Chief Branches of Mathematics and
Physics; the Committee consisting of Professor G. CAREY FOSTER (Secre-
tary), Professor W. G. ADAMS, Professor R. B. CLIFTON, Professor CAYLEY,
Professor J. D. EVERETT, Professor CLERK MAXWELL, Lord RAYLEIGH,
Professor G. G. STOKES, Professor BALFOUR STEWART, Mr. SPOTTISWOODE,
and Professor P. G. TAIT
..........
Twelfth Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor EVERETT, Professor
Sir WILLIAM THOMSON, Professor J. CLERK MAXWELL, Mr. G. J. SYMONS,
Professor RAMSAY, Professor GEIKIE, Mr. J. GLAISHER, Mr. PENGELLY,
Professor EDWARD HULL, Professor ANSTED, Dr. CLEMENT LE NEVE FOSTER,
Professor A. S. HERSCHEL, Mr. G. A. LEBOUR, Mr. A. B. WYNNE, Mr. GAL-
LOWAY, Mr. JOSEPH DICKINSON, and Mr. G. F. DEACON, appointed for the
purpose of investigating the Rate of Increase of Underground Temperature
downwards in various Localities of Dry Land and under Water. Drawn up
by Professor EVERETT (Secretary)
........
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor CAYLEY, F.R.S., Professor
G. G. STOKES, F.R.S., Professor H. J. S. SMITH, F.R.S., Professor Sir
WILLIAM THOMSON, F.R.S., Mr. JAMES GLAISHER, F.R.S., and Mr. J. W.
L. GLAISHER, F.R.S. (Secretary), on Mathematical Tables. Drawn up by
Mr. J. W. L. GLAISHER.
Sixth Report of a Committee, consisting of Professor A. S. HERSCHEL, M.A.,
F.R.A.S., Professor G. A. LEBOUR, F.G.S., and Mr. T. J. DUNN, B.Sc.,
on Experiments to determine the Thermal Conductivities of certain Rocks,
showing especially the Geological Aspects of the Investigation
Report of a Committee, consisting of Professor G. FORBES, Professor Sir
WILLIAM THOMSON, and Professor EVERETT, appointed to obtain Observa-
tions on Atmospheric Electricity at Madeira. Drawn up by Dr. GRABHAM,
Madeira
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor SYLVESTER, F.R.S., and
Professor CAYLEY, F.R.S., appointed for the purpose of calculating Tables of
the Fundamental Invariants of Algebraic Forms
Report of the Committee, consisting of the Rev. SAMUEL HAUGHTON, M.D.,
and BENJAMIN WILLIAMSON, M.A., appointed for the Calculation of Sun-
Heat Coefficients. Drawn up by Dr. HAUGHTON
.................
............
Second Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Sir WILLIAM THOM-
SON, Dr. MERRIFIELD, Professor OSBORNE REYNOLDS, Captain DOUGLAS
GALTON, and Mr. J. N. SHOOLBRED (Secretary), appointed for the purpose
of obtaining information respecting the Phenomena of the Stationary Tides
in the English Channel and in the North Sea; and of representing to the
Government of Portugal and the Governor of Madeira that, in the opinion
of the British Association, Tidal Observations at Madeira or other islands
in the North Atlantic Ocean would be very valuable, with the view to the
advancement of our knowledge of the Tides in the Atlantic Ocean ............
Report of Observations of Luminous Meteors during the year 1878-79, by a
Committee consisting of JAMES GLAISHER, F.R.S., &c., R. P. GREG, F.G.S.,
F.R.A.S., C. BROOKE, F.R.S., Professor G. FORBES, F.R.S.E., WALTER
FLIGHT, D.Sc., F.G.S., and Professor A. S. HERSCHEL, M.A., F.R.A.S.
(Reporter)
......
36
37
40
46
58
63
66
71
76:
Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. DAVID GILL, Professor G. FORBES,
Mr. HOWARD GRUBB, and Mr. O. H. GIMINGHAM (with power to add to
their number), appointed to consider the question of Improvements in
Astronomical Clocks
... 131
Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor G. FORBES (Secretary), Pro-
fessor W. G. ADAMS, and Mr. W. E. AYRTON, appointed for the purpose of
improving an Instrument for detecting the presence of Fire-damp in Mines. 131
Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. W. CHANDLER ROBERTS, F.R.S.
(Secretary), Dr. C. R. ALDER WRIGHT, and Mr. A. P. LUFF, appointed for
the purpose of investigating the Chemistry of some of the lesser-known
Alkaloids, especially Veratria and Bebeerine
Seventh Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor PRESTWICH,
Professor HUGHES, Professor W. BOYD DAWKINS, Professor L. C. MIALL,
Rev. H. W. CROSSKEY, Messrs. W. PENGELLY, W. MOLYNEUX, D.
MACKINTOSH, R. H. TIDDEMAN, J. E. LEE, and J. PLANT, and Dr. DEANE,
appointed for the purpose of recording the position, height above the sea,
lithological characters, size and origin of the Erratic Blocks of England,
Wales, and Ireland, reporting other matters of interest connected with the
same, and taking measures for their preservation. Drawn up by the Rev.
H. W. CROSSKEY (Secretary)
Fifteenth Report of the Committee, consisting of JOHN EVANS, F.R.S., Sir
JOHN LUBBOCK, Bart., F.R.S., EDWARD VIVIAN, M.A., GEORGE BUSK,
F.R.S., WILLIAM BOYD DAWKINS, F.R.S., WILLIAM AYSHFORD SANFORD,
F.G.S., JOHN EDWARD LEE, F.G.S., and WILLIAM PENGELLY, F.R.S.
(Reporter), appointed for the purpose of exploring Kent's Cavern, Devon-
shire
Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. JOHN EVANS, Sir JOHN LUBBOCK,
Major-General LANE FOX, Mr. GEORGE BUSK, Professor W. BOYD Daw-
KINS, Mr. PENGELLY, and Mr. A. W. FRANKS, appointed for exploring cer-
tain Caves in Borneo
Fifth Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor HULL, Rev. H. W.
CROSSKEY, Captain D. GALTON, Mr. GLAISHER, Mr. H. H. HOWELL, Profes-
sor G. A. LEBOUR, Mr. W. MOLYNEUX, Mr. MORTON, Mr. I. ROBERTS, Mr.
PENGELLY, Professor PRESTWICH, Mr. JAMES PLANT, Mr. MELLARD READE,
Mr. W. WHITAKER, and Mr. DE RANCE (Reporter), appointed for investiga-
ting the Circulation of the Underground Waters in the Jurassic, New Red
Sandstone, and Permian Formations of England, and the Quantity and
Character of the Waters supplied to various Towns and Districts from these
Formations
Report of the Committee, consisting of the Rev. MAXWELL CLOSE, Professor
W. C. WILLIAMSON, and Mr. W. H. BAILY, appointed for the purpose of
collecting and reporting on the Tertiary (Miocene) Flora, &c., of the Basalt
of the North of Ireland. Drawn up by WM. HELLIER BAILY, F.L.S., F.G.S.
(Secretary)
...........
Report of the Committee, consisting of the Rev. H. T. BARNES-LAWRENCE, Mr.
SPENCE BATE, Mr. H. E. DRESSER (Secretary), Mr. J. E. HARTING, Dr.
GWYN JEFFREYS, Mr. J. G. SHAW LEFEVRE, M.P., Professor NEWTON, and
the Rev. Canon TRISTRAM, appointed by the Council for the purpose of
inquiring into the possibility of establishing a Close Time for the Protection
of Indigenous Animals
Report of Committee, consisting of Mr. C. SPENCE BATE, and Mr. J. BROOKING
Rowe, appointed for the purpose of Exploring the Marine Zoology of Devon
and Cornwall
133
135
140
149
155
162
165