Dr. Siemens delivered the inaugural address to the British Association
on Wednesday at Southampton. He took for his main subject the effect of the search for practical applications of science in widening the sphere of knowledge itself, showing, for in- stance, that the search for new dyes had immensely advanced the chemistry of the subject, by rendering it necessary to study scientifically such waste products as coal-tar. Dr. Siemens showed that, previous to 1856, the value of coal-tar in London was hardly a halfpenny a gallon, while in country places gas- makers were glad to give it away. Taking the coal used in the manufacture of gas at 9,000,000 tons at 12s. a ton, or as being worth 25,400,000, Dr. Siemens showed that the "waste products" are worth as much as is given in the following table :—
Colouring Matter for Dyes £3,350,000 Manure (sulphate of ammonia) ... 1,047,000
Pitch (325,000 tens) 365,000 Creosote (26,000,000 gnllons) 208,000 Crude Carbolic Amid (1,000,000 gallons) ... 100,000 Gas Coke, at 12s. a ton (4,000,000 tons, after allowing 2,000,000 tons for working the retorts) 2,400,000 £8,370,000
Eo that the waste products are more valuable than the coal itself by nearly £3,000,000. It is obvious that when a little chemical discovery makes the art of discovery so valuable as this table shows, chemistry will be spurred on to rapid strides.
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