Gentlemen, I have now accomplished, however imperfectly, the objects which I had before me in this Address,—viz., 1st, To notice the influence exercised generally by learned associations upon the advancement and extension of literature and natural science; and, 2d, To take a brief notice of certain members of the Royal Society of Edinburgh who have died since the opening of the late Session. Nothing more forcibly brings before us the advancement of mankind in mental improvement and in mechanical refinement than the power which we possess of realising the past, and of storing up the discoveries and the disquisitions which have been made by those who have preceded us. Human knowledge seems now to be all recorded for the benefit of posterity. There is such a multiplication of books, and such economy in the production of books, as to make that knowledge available to all ranks of society. There is an arrangement and classification of books according to the subjects of which they treat which prevent libraries becoming a hopeless labyrinth—an overwhelming incubus. The achievements of able and original minds are preserved by those who have possessed kindred spirits with their own, and none of their labours need be lost,—nothing that they have accomplished need perish. I think our scientific societies have had a great and extensive influence in producing these results. That spirit of combination and companionship which has worked such numerous and permanent effects in all departments of human life, and which is an innate principle of human nature, has operated in combining men for objects which may be good or may be bad. Whilst we see with pain and grief the union of human beings accomplished for the express purpose of evil, and for injuring others in order to promote the advantage of those who unite, it is delightful to think how close, also, combinations may be made for the improvement of the species, for advancing knowledge, either exclusively in one of its departments, or generally in every department. Men combine together in associations for amusement, for recreation, or for gaiety, They combine together for purposes of pecuniary profit, to secure political ascendancy, or more refined educational benefits for their families. This spirit of combination has produced also many associations like our own; around the labours and the operations of these there has gathered an accumulated history of genius and discovery, which must be enduring as the human species itself. The highest place in our veneration and esteem is, no doubt, due to

those sacred associations which are formed under a religious spirit of union, either for disseminating the Word of God in all the languages spoken by the numerous families of human beings throughout the world, or for promoting the spread of Christian knowledge, whether amongst the neglected outcasts of our home population, or amongst the heathen who have never heard a Saviour's name. But next to these we may venerate and esteem the associations which unite men for the cause of sound philosophy, and for advancing all branches of useful human learning, which draw men together for literary and scientific purposes, and which impart to them a common interest in the discovery and extension of truth. We cannot fail to perceive the merit of associations which thus unite men of very different habits and occupations in the encouragement of all those pursuits which, as long experience has now proved, tend to ennoble man's nature, and to elevate his sources of enjoyment.

REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Report of the Commissioners appointed to Inquire into the Condition and Management of Lights, Buoys, and Beacons, with Appendix. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty. London, 1861. Memorial of the Chamber of Commerce and Manufactures of Edinburgh (Incorporated, by Royal Charter) to the Board of Council for Trade, &c. 1861.

To a sea-girt and truly maritime country like ours, it is not easy to conceive anything more important than the efficiency of its lighthouse system. To promote this object, a Royal Commission was in 1858 appointed, consisting of Rear-Admiral Hamilton, Captain Ryder, R.N., Dr J. H. Gladstone, Duncan Dunbar, Esq., M.P., and Samuel R. Graves, Esq., who conjoined with them the Astronomer-Royal, to inquire into and report on the whole subject. The report of this Commission, which was laid before the last session of Parliament, gives a review of the lighthouses of nearly the whole world. The Commissioners personally inspected most of the lighthouses of the United Kingdom and France, and have been upwards of two years engaged in the inquiry. We were quite prepared to find that a country that has produced such works as Smeaton's Eddystone, Stevenson's Bell Rock, Walker's Bishop Rock, and Alan Stevenson's Skerryvore, should stand high in the annals of lighthouse engineering, and NEW SERIES.-VOL. XV. NO. I.-JAN. 1862.

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we were not mistaken. From what we can learn from a careful perusal of the report, the efficiency of our lighthouses, more especially those in Scotland, is not surpassed by those of any quarter of the world.

The lighthouses of the United Kingdom are, as our readers are no doubt aware, placed under the management of three separate Boards, namely, the English under the Trinity-House of London, the Scotch under the Commissioners of Northern Lights at Edinburgh, and the Irish under the Ballast Board at Dublin. The Merchant Shipping Act of 1854 enacted that the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses and the Ballast Board should report to, and receive the sanction of the Trinity-House as regards the sites of all new lights, and that the whole three Boards should, in all matters regarding the selection of sites and expenditure of funds, report to, and secure the sanction of the Board of Trade. This divided responsibility seems to have led, in some cases, to much unnecessary correspondence; and the result of the Commissioners' recommendation is, that while commending, in some respects, the management of all the three Boards, but especially that of the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, they recommend the formation of a central Board, to be called the "Trinity Commissioners for Lights," to consist of four members resident in London, one in Edinburgh, and one in Dublin, and a seventh to be selected by Government, "with special reference to his scientific acquirements in these branches of knowledge which relate to coast illumination." To these, it is proposed to add, as ex officio members, "the Astronomer-Royal, the Hydrographer of the Admiralty, the Comptroller-General of the Coast-Guard, and one of the professional members of the Board of Trade."

In making this recommendation, it appears to us, that independently altogether of the injustice which it does to the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, the Royal Commissioners have allowed themselves to be actuated more by the general vague feeling that centralisation is the panacea for all evils, fancied or real, than by any positive objections to the existing lights, or by any conviction of the practicability of their own involved and cumbrous proposal for managing them. Before Government

adopts such a recommendation, it would surely be wise to see whether the remedy which it proposes be applied in the right quarter, and whether all that is wanted in the shape of improvement cannot be attained by alterations on the constitution of some of the existing Boards. It appears to us self-evident from the report itself, that the Northern-Lighthouse Board has satisfactorily and efficiently discharged its duties, and that, had the Commission found the English and Irish as fully up to the mark as the Scotch admittedly are, they would have had nothing to recommend; and yet it is strangely enough proposed to supersede the Scotch Board.

Now, the question not unnaturally occurs, Would it not be more appropriate, as well as a more just course, to propose that the English and Irish Boards should adopt the Scotch system? In support of what we have now stated, we give the following quotations from the Report, in which the superiority of the Scottish Lights seems to us to be clearly demonstrated and admitted

As regards the "Character of the Source of Light," the Commissioners say—" To the subject of the height of the flame, your Commissioners have given much consideration." "The flame

"This

in English and Irish Lights is kept far too low." fault was not found to exist in the lights under the Northern Commissioners, who make use of a mechanical pump-lamp, which burns, on an average, 794 gallons of oil annually, and produces good flames of about double the height of those in England or Ireland." "From this it is evident, at a glance, that as the Scotch dioptric lights burn a larger amount of oil than the English or Irish, they are more expensive in that item; but in this particular, expense becomes a measure of efficiency."

Under the head of "Character of Apparatus by which the Light is Directed," it is stated-"There are two principal means by which it is sought to throw the light in the desired direction. The one is by silvered parabolic reflectors, and is called the 'Catoptric' system, the other is by lenses of peculiar construction, and is called the 'Dioptric' system. Sometimes the two systems are combined together, as in the ordinary Catadioptric,' and in Mr (Thomas) Stevenson's 'Holophotal' arrangement. The table already given (page 15) shows the proportion between the catoptric and dioptric lights at present existing in the three kingdoms. It will be seen that the principle of refraction is generally adopted in Scotland, while that of reflection still holds the numerical preponderance in England and Ireland.” "As to the optical apparatus, the dioptric system,* invented and first employed in France, has been gradually adopted in our own country, and in Scotland some improvements have been made in it.” "Few will doubt that a combination of the two" (dioptric and catoptric)" would often be the most efficient; and such combinations exist in all countries, but especially in Scotland."

On the subject of the "Quality Compared with Foreign Lights," the Commissioners say :-"The quality of British lights (speaking generally) is equal to the quality of lights in any part of the world." "The fixed catoptric lights of the British Isles," it is stated, "will not bear comparison with revolving lights on the same principle, or with the dioptric lights of France or Scotland."

* It may be interesting to our readers to see the conclusion to which the Commissioners have come as to the origin of the lenticular system, which has been the subject of some discussion in this country.

Under a head termed "General Authorities," the Commissioners say: "The Trinity House has consulted Professor Faraday, as its scientific adviser, since 1836; but it appears that he only gives his opinion or advice on such subjects as are submitted to him. The Northern Commissioners have had the great advantage of having associated with them the family of the Stevensons, who have given much attention to those departments of science which relate to lighthouse illumination."

"As a test of the degree of scientific knowledge exhibited by the different lighthouse authorities, your Commissioners asked for copies of the plans, specifications, &c., actually submitted to the manufacturers, in ordering the last two sets of lenticular apparatus of large size or peculiar form. The resulting correspondence is given in vol. i. p. 210, with an account of the different practice of the four principal lighthouse authorities, viz., the Board of Trade, the English, Scotch, and Irish Boards. From this it appears that, in Ireland, forms of tender are issued, setting forth the arc intended to be illuminated, the number of panels and zones required, and the apparatus shall be of the best quality, and fitted together correctly;' in England, printed forms and lithographed drawings of small size are furnished to the contractors; while in Scotland, large working drawings and minute directions are given by the engineers employed by the governing authority for the execution of apparatus specially designed by them for special localities.

"In the case of the English and Irish Boards, the governing body does not originate the design. In Scotland, a design is furnished by the governing body, and the manufacturer has only to execute the order given.

"The latter arrangement seems calculated to produce an advance in science."

"Here, then, seems to be a defect in the system of management." "When they employ men who have made these particular branches of knowledge their study, the result is good. The Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses have, in this respect, shown themselves considerably in advance of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, by employing an engineer who has studied lighthouse illumination, and claims to have invented or introduced many improvements into optical apparatus, to prepare specifications for scientific work. The result of the opposite course adopted by the Trinity House is shown in the defects observed at Godrevy, the Start, the North and South Foreland, Whitby, &c." In the section headed "Efficiency and Economy of Government," the following statements appear:—

"Generally, to inspect the minor arrangements of one lighthouse in Scotland is equivalent to having seen them all; for the only variety seems to be in the illuminating apparatus, which in very