Accounts of the Kew Committee of the British Association from September 14, 1859 to June 27, 1860. RECEIPTS. Balance from last account Salaries, &c. : PAYMENTS. d. To B. Stewart, three quarters, ending £ s. d. 150 0 0 £ s. d. Ditto, allowed for petty travelling ex- 10 0 0 20 14 0 75 0 0 from the Royal Society to defray the expense 150 0 0 £957 19 10 C. Chambers, three quarters, ending J. V. Magrath, six months, ending R. Beckley, 41 weeks, ending June 25, G. Whipple, 40 weeks, ending June 18, 1860, at 128. T. Baker, 15 weeks, ending June 25, 1860, at 8s. 71 15 0 undercharged in last account 10 10 Cost of building a Wooden House in Optician's account for the Kew Magneto- I have examined the above account and compared it with the vouchers presented to me, and find that the Balance in hand is Eleven pounds Eight shillings and Fivepence. 18th June, 1860. R. HUTTON. In the meteorological department, all the barometers, thermometers, and hydrometers required by the Board of Trade and the Admiralty have their corrections determined; besides which, similar instruments are verified for opticians. Standard thermometers also are graduated, and daily meteorological observations are made, an abstract of which is published in the Illustrated London News.' Instruction is also given in the use of instruments to officers in the army or navy, or other scientific men who obtain permission from the Committee. All this amount of work, it is believed, can be executed by the present staff, consisting of the superintendent, three assistants (magnetical, mechanical, and meteorological), and a boy; but the expense attending it is greater than the present income of the Observatory, furnished by the British Association, will support. In the resolution of the British Association of the 14th September, 1859, it was recommended to Government, at the instance of the joint committee of the Royal Society and British Association, that the sum of £350 per annum should be placed at the disposal of the general superintendent of the magnetical observations; this sum was intended to have defrayed the expenses attending the magnetical department of the Observatory and the observations of the sun's spots. It will be seen, however, from the correspondence contained in an earlier part of this Report, that this source of income is not yet available. June 18, 1860. JOHN P. GASSIOT, Report of the Parliamentary Committee to the Meeting of the British Association at Oxford in June 1860. The Parliamentary Committee have the honour to report as follows:No subject of sufficient importance to require any especial notice has occupied their attention during the past year, nor indeed was there any matter referred to them at the last Meeting of the Association. There are now either two or three vacancies in that portion of the Committee which represents the House of Commons, according as it shall be determined whether the vacancy caused in that Section by Lord de Grey's taking his seat in the House of Lords is or is not to be filled up, WROTTESLEY, Chairman. May 28, 1860. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL COMMITTEE AT THE OXFORD MEETING IN JUNE AND JULY 1860. [When Committees are appointed, the Member first named is regarded as the Secretary of the Committee, except there be a specific nomination.] Involving Grants of Money. That the sum of £500 be appropriated to the maintenance of the Establishment in Kew Observatory, under the direction of the Council. That a sum not exceeding £90 be granted for one year for the payment of an additional Photographer for carrying on the Photo-heliographic Observations at Kew. That a sum not exceeding £30 be placed at the disposal of Mr. Broun, Dr. Lloyd, and Mr. Stone, for the construction of an Induction Dip Circle, in connexion with the Observatory at Kew. That a sum not exceeding £10 be placed at the disposal of Professor Tyndall and Mr. Ball, for providing Instruments for making Observations in the Alps, and for printing the formula for the use of travellers. That the Balloon Ascent Committee, consisting of Prof. Walker, Prof. W. Thomson, Sir D. Brewster, Dr. Sharpey, Dr. Lloyd, Col. Sykes, General Sabine, and Prof. J. Forbes, be reappointed, with the addition of Mr. Broun ; and that the sum of £200 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Dr. Matthiessen be requested to prosecute his Experiments on the Chemical Nature of Alloys; and that the sum of £20 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That Prof. Sullivan be requested to continue his Experiments on the Solubility of Salts at Temperatures above 100° Cent., and on the mutual Action of Salts in Solution; and that the sum of £20 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That Prof. Voelcker be requested to continue his investigation on Field Experiments and Laboratory Researches on the Constituents of Manures essential to Cultivated Crops; and that the sum of £25 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That Mr. Alphonse Gages be requested to continue his Experiments on the Mechanico-Chemical Analysis of Minerals; and that the sum of £20 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That Mr. Mallet be requested to carry on his Experiments on Earthquake Waves; and that the sum of £25 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That additional excavations be made at Dura Den by the Committee, now consisting of Dr. Anderson, Prof. Ramsay, Prof. Nicol, and Mr. Page; that Mr. J. B. Jukes be added to the Committee; and that the sum of £20 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, Dr. Lukis, Mr. Spence Bate, Mr. A. Hancock, and Dr. Verloren be a Committee for the purpose of Reporting on the best mode of preventing the ravages of the different kinds of Teredo and other Animals in our Ships and Harbours; that Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys be the Secretary; and that the sum of £10 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Mr. Sclater, Dr. A. Günther, and Mr. R. T. Tomes be a Committee for the purpose of preparing and printing a Report on the Present State of our Knowledge of the Terrestrial Vertebrata of the West India Islands; that Mr. Sclater be the Secretary; and that the sum of £10 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Mr. Robert MacAndrew and the following gentlemen be a Com mittee for General Dredging purposes :-Mr. R. MacAndrew, Chairman; Mr. G. C. Hyndman, Dr. Edwards, Dr. Dickie, Mr. C. L. Stewart, Dr. Collingwood, Dr. Kinahan, Mr. J. S. Worthey, Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, Dr. E. Perceval Wright, Mr. Lucas Barrett, and Professor J. R. Greene. That Mr. Robert MacAndrew be the Secretary; and that the sum of £25 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Dr. Ogilvie, Dr. Dickie, Dr. Dyce, Prof. Nicol, and Mr. C. W. Peach be a Committee for the purpose of Dredging the North and East Coasts of Scotland. That Dr. Ogilvie be the Secretary; and that the sum of £25 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That the surviving members of the Committee appointed in the year 1842, viz. Mr. C. Darwin, Rev. Professor Henslow, Rev. L. Jenyns, Mr. W. Ogilby, Professor Phillips, Sir John Richardson, Mr. J. O. Westwood, Professor Owen, Mr. W. E. Shuckard, and Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, for the purpose of preparing Rules for the establishment of a Uniform Zoological Nomenclature, be reappointed, with the addition of Sir William Jardine, Bart., and Mr. P. L. Sclater. That Sir W. Jardine be the Secretary; and that the sum of £10 be placed at their disposal for the purpose of revising and reprinting the Rules. That Mr. Sclater and Dr. F. Hochstetter be a Committee for the purpose of drawing up a Report on the Present State of our Knowledge of the Species of Apteryx living in New Zealand. That Mr. Sclater be the Secretary; and that the sum of £50 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Dr. Collingwood be requested to dredge in the Estuaries of the Mersey and Dee; and that the sum of £5 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That Dr. Edward Smith, F.R.S., and Mr. Milner be a Committee for the purpose of prosecuting inquiries as to the effect of Prison Diet and Discipline upon the Bodily Functions of Prisoners. That Dr. Edward Smith be the Secretary; and that the sum of £20 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Mr. T. Wright, Mr. J. B. Davis, and Mr. A. G. Hindlay be a Committee for the purpose of exploring entirely the piece of ground at Uriconium in which the human remains have been found, in order to examine more fully the circumstances connected with the discovery, and to obtain the similar Skulls which may still remain under ground. That Mr. T. Wright be the Secretary; and that the sum of £20 be placed at their disposal for the purpose. That Professor James Thomson (of Belfast) be requested to continue his Experiments on the Gauging of Water; and that the sum of £10 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. That the Committee on Steam-ship Performance be reappointed, to report proceedings to the next Meeting; that the attention of the Committee be also directed to the obtaining of information respecting the performance of vessels under Sail, with a view to comparing the results of the two powers of Wind and Steam, in order to their most effective and economical combination; and that the sum of £150 be placed at their disposal for this purpose. The following gentlemen were nominated to serve on the Committee:Vice-Admiral Moorsom; The Marquis of Stafford, M.P.; The Earl of Caithness; The Lord Dufferin; Mr. William Fairbairn, F.R.S.; Mr.J. Scott Russell, F.R.S.; Admiral Paris, C.B.; The Hon. Captain Egerton, R.N.; Mr. William Smith, C.E.; Mr. J. E. McConnell, C.E.; Prof. Rankine, LL.D.; Mr. J. R. Napier, C.E.; Mr. R. Roberts, C.E.; Mr. Henry Wright, Honorary Secretary; with power to add to their number. That Prof. Phillips be requested to complete and print, before the Man chester Meeting, a Classified Index to the Transactions of the Association from 1831 to 1860 inclusive; that he be authorized to employ, during this period, an Assistant; and that the sum of £100 be placed at his disposal for the purpose. Applications for Reports and Researches. That Mr. H. J. S. Smith be requested to continue his Report on the Theory of Numbers. That Mr. Cayley be requested to draw up a Report on certain Problems in Higher Dynamics. That Mr. B. Stewart be requested to draw up a Report on Prevost's Theory of Exchanges, and its recent extensions. That Prof. Stokes be requested to draw up a Report on the Present State and Recent Progress of Physical Optics. That Dr. Dickie be requested to draw up a Report on the Flora of Ulster, for the next Meeting of the Association. That Dr. Carpenter be requested to draw up a Report on the Minute Structure of Shells. That Dr. Michael Foster be requested to report upon the Present State of our Knowledge in reference to Muscular Irritability. That Mr. James Oldham be requested to continue his Report on Steam Navigation in the Port of Hull. That the Lord Rosse, Dr. Robinson, Professor Phillips, and Mr. W. R. Birt be a Committee for the purpose of making observations on the Moon's surface and comparing it with that of the Earth. That Professor Phillips be the Secretary. That the Rev. Professor Price, Dr. Whewell, Sir J. Lubbock, Admiral FitzRoy, Sir W. S. Harris, and Rev. Professor Haughton be a Committee for the purpose of reporting to the next Meeting of the British Association, on the Expediency and best means of making Tidal Observations, with a view to the completion of Dr. Whewell's Essays in prosecution of a full Tidal Exposition. That, as it would be highly desirable that the observations on the Magnetic Lines in India should be continued, His Highness The Rajah of Travancore be requested to complete the Survey already commenced by him, through his Astronomer. That it is desirable that a Committee be appointed to consider the best mode of effecting the registration and publication of the numerical facts of Chemistry. That the Committee consist of Dr. Frankland, Dr. W. A. Miller, Prof. W. H. Miller, Prof. Brodie, Prof. Williamson, and Dr. Lyon Playfair. That the Lords of the Admiralty be moved to authorize some small vessel stationed on the South-East Coast of America to take a convenient opportunity of collecting specimens of the large Vertebrate Fossils from certain localities easy of access between the River Plata and the Straits of Magellan. That Sir W. Jardine, Bart., Prof. Owen, Prof. Faraday, and Mr. Andrew Murray be a Committee for the purpose of procuring information as to the best means of conveying Electrical Fishes alive to Europe. That Sir W. Jardine be the Secretary. That Mr. William Fairbairn, Mr. J. F. Bateman, and Prof. Thomson be a Committee for the purpose of reporting on Experiments to be made at the Manchester Waterworks on the Gauging of Water; with power to add to their number. |
