SIXTH MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

THIS society, which consists of scientific men belonging to all parts of the kingdom, held its annual meeting this year at Thistol, and com- menced its proceedings on Monday last. It has met, very appropri- ately, immediately after the prorogation of Parliament, and comes with "kindliest change," to refresh the national mind by the calm in- vestigations of science, after it has been heated by political strife and wearied by the reiterated falsehoods of political factions.

The mere existence of a society composed of between five and six hundred men of science, collected from different parts of the empire, who are met by nearly six hundred more dwelling in Bristol and its neighbourhood, is calculated to excite a sentiment of national pride. The spirit-troubled doubt, whether talent and genius are not wholly extinct in the land, from the mutual depreciation of all greatness by the Whig and Tory journals, is delightfully soothed by learning that one society has collected in one city nearly twelve hundred gentlemen put- ting forth claims to some eminence in science or in literature. Almost every branch of precise knowledge seems, as might be ex- pected, to be embraced by such a host ; and we present the following to our readers as an abs-ract of the divisons under which every depart- ment of science is cultivated, and the names of the gentlemen who pre- side over each.

Mathematical and Physical Science Reverend W. WHEWELL. Chemistry and Mineralogy ...... Professor GUMMING. Geology and Geography Reverend Dr. DUCKLAND.

Zoology and Botany Professor HENSLOW.

Medical Science Dr. ROGET.

Statistics Sir CHARLES LEMON.

Mechanical Science Mr. DAVIES GILBERT.

Amongst these are some very celebrated names ; but some of the Vice- Presidents and other functionaries are not less illustrious. We notice Sir D. BREWSTER, Dr. LLOYD, Mr. BARRAGE, Dr. DALTON, Dr. HENRY, Mr. HEREPATH, Mr. GREENOUGH, Dr. LARDNER, Dr. RICHARDSON, Mr. H. HaLLan, with scores of others, equally or more eminent perhaps than these, whom we mention only because they were the first to catch our eye, or suggest the recollection of considerable scien- tific achievements. We are reminded too, by recollecting the political opinions of some of those whose names we have written, that in the scientific halls of Bristol the extreme Radical, the Ultra Tory, and the milk-and-water Whig, all meet as on neutral ground, and forget in the cultivation of science the narrow opinions of these separate political parties. We should the our readers were we to give even a brief notice of

the principal 'Objects which engaged the attention of this vast host of eminent men on the first Once days. of ellich, et the time we write, an account has reached us : but we must survey one class and some eub- jects as specimees.

In the Matheinatieal and Physicel section, on the first day. the Pre- sident lead a paper on the construetion of a theoretical fenek•Selt Lens; which, unfortunetely, no workman has yet beeu foiled capuble uf making. Some skilful workman, it is hoped, however, may

yet be found to grind it ; though Sir Devil) Bitewerett did not explain ' the advantaees which will be derived from its great refracting power. Something was said about the tide, promised about the stars, and ex- pected by next year—through appointing another committee, the re- searches of the first not heving been successfue—towards aseertaleing the levels of the land and sea. One notable conclusion as reported, we notice in the proceedings of the Mathematical and Physical section on the first dity,—namely, that the height of the title appears to depend on the barometer. Of course the reporter meant, the %%Tight of the atmosphere as indicated by the barometer ; and though the pilot 01 round the coast have come, we belicee, to a similar praetical conclusion long ago, the seieutifie deduction is vot ivithout its %ethic : it refers the well-known fart to a general principle, and expresses it in scientific language. On Tuesday, the section was engaged with experiments on waves. and with refractive indices. The polarizing structure of the crystalline lens utter death, electro.galeanisin as a moving power, new anemotneter, the inuthematical theory of ileitis, some ;age- braic formulae and naval architecture, also occupied its attention. Ou

Wednesday, electrical repulsion, the mathematical theory of fluids, voltaic light, the laws of double refraction, and the integral calculus, were all taken into consideratioe; with what results, further than that they were considered, the reporters do not say. In each of the other sectione, a similar or greater variety of subjects, corresponding to the chief object of each section, wus served up; so that the most fastidious lover of seientifimpic-nies might fiud something to his taste. Among the subjects which seem, by the leegthened notice taken of them, to have excited most attention, was Dr. Then Annsos's introduc- tory report on North American Zoology ; comprising a description of

the physical geography and climate of that country. Judging from the brief account given of the paper, we should suppose it is the most scientific description of the configuration of the mountains and vallies of that immense continent, and the peculiar influence of that configura- tion on climate, mid on sonic habits of animals, which has yet been presented to the world. A Mr. Rooesev instructed the farmers pre- sent (among wheat we notice that ingenious speculatist Mr. IVEnn Here.) how to make malt, sugar, and spirit, with all their products, out of mangel wurzel. The learned gentleman is willing probably to make England independent of the Slave Colonies for sugar, and of France for brandy. Dr. Rumennsost brought under notice a new kind of wheat, of speedy growth, from South America ; which Mr. Wane HALL would probably object to, as tending, particularly during such a season as the present, to prevent the price of wheat of old Eng- lish growth on stiff clay lands from rising to a remunerating price. Some ingenious gentlemen exhibited models to illustrate physical geo- graphy, which are hereafter to he coloured; and one ( Mr. Gatireern) praised the Ordnance Map of Ireland, as " enabling him to take hedges and fences with ease." Did he mean, in hunter's phrase, to leap over them ? A Professor Masece read a useful paper on Locomotive En- gines as used on railroads; and he seems, in conjunction with Dr. LARDNER, to have demonstrated that the expense of propelling car- riages on inclined planes was in all cases greater than the expense of constructing railroads on a perfect level. The latter gentleman has observed, that a very small quantity of dust on the rails adds very much to the friction ; and he suggests the propriety of each wheel of a loco- motive carriage being provided with a kind of watering-pot, to precede it a few inches, and continually wash the rail. Probably a brush running before the wheel might answer the purpose. A series of ingenious experiments by Mr. Russet." of Edinburgh, on the resistance of the water to vessels impelled through it, were made known to the Society. They were remarkable for showing, that when a great degree of velocity is given to a vessel, such as twenty miles an hour, she skims, as it were, on the surface of the water, and hardly meets any resistance. At that velocity, we are inclined to say, the resistance of the water becomes so great, that it partakes rather of the properties of a solid than a fluid hi relation to the moving body, which

as carried over and not through it,—as it wouli be carried along an in- clined plane of wood or iron, and not through it, by a force applied at an angle to the line of the plane less than a righeangle.

To mention some other topics which attracted attention—Professor PHILLIPS gave the results of some examinations on subterranean tem- perature, which confirm the theory of its being greater than that of the atmosphere : in one case the thermometer below the surfeit e for some time averaged 78 degrees, whilst in the external atmosphere it was only 48 degrees. A paper on arsenical poisons by Mr. Hi itettere. and a description of an appaeltus for the analysis of mixed gases by Professor HARE of Philadelphia, were both considered interesting. Mr. Helm- PATII also gave a new theory of the Aurora Borealis ; stating his opi- nion that this phenomenon was only produced by electric clouds, gradually withdrawing and leaving streams of electric fluid behind: from which opinion, however, Dr. DALTON expressed his dissent. Among the eu-

nosities must be noticed a living specimen of the aroma avicularia, ex- hibited by Mr. Rooesev, of which he gave a description. This is a monstrous species of spider, that sometimes seizes the eggs of small birds, particularly of humming-birds, and devours them. It was brought over alive from South America amongst some log-wood. These few specimens of the whole, may serve to inform the reader in what manner the learned gentlemen were employed up to three o'clock each day. Time different sections adjourned about that hour, while they geuerally commenced about eleven. The more agreeable pure of the scientific entertainment followed in the evening. Philosophers must dine; and those at Bristol crowded round the table at five o'clock, and proved that their deep studies had not deprived them of their appetites.

About five hundred gentlemen sat down to dinner; and the bumpers weat round, on the first day under the Presidency of Dr. LLOYD, in a most cheerful manner. In the evening, the philosophers repaired in a body W the Theatre; where, as is agreeable to the learned as well as

the unlearned, feey enjoyed the presence of the ladies in great num- bers. In the ermines, too, Dr. LLOYD resigned his Presidency to the Marquis of Noitenesteroe, chosen to that office on the spur ot the oc- casion. It was destined for the Marquis of LANSDOWNE ; but the heavy nr..iiction which has fallen on him compelled him to remain in his own ruelaneholy home. We do no dishorour to the talents of the latter distinguished and amiable noblemen, when we remark, that he found aft able substitute in the other Marquis, who lent the graces of high rank mid great personal accomplishments to enhance the plineure of the festivities. We are obliged to compress into these narrow limits the description of the luminous speeches, of the professed reports, the witty remade; which accompanied the several toasts, the elaborate dis- cussiens which followed the reading of papers, and which have for several days tilled the vast columns of our huge daily contemporaries. The reader may judge of our difficulty in attemptime to give him any thiug like a notice of the scientific achievements at Bristol, when we state, that the mere papers read at the meetings of the different sections, when collected at the end of time meeting, compose a bulky volume. Besidcs them, there are the convivial speeches, the compliments to thee ladies, the flatteries to the most noble President, the return compliment to the learned Professors, ( which of themselves would fill another- toluene) and %%elide by the mutually flettered and complimented, are probably thought as well worth preserving as the scientific. paeers. But space, like time and tide, is not our servant; and, however. aexious we may be to record all the good things that have been said and all the learned things that have been done, we are compelled with a sigh to admit that we can execute only a small part of our wish. That science will be much promoted by sue!' societies, we eennot Irene lure to predict ; but they seem instinct with good fellowship, and all the charities of life. They blend tnen of different ranks, different opinions, and different religions ; they bring them to feast together, and to share each others amusements and Weems; and, whether useful to seience or net. the present joeialities and the future recollections of the pleasures of Ili istol, will make them pregnant, we hcpe, with moral advantage to all parts of the empire.