sixty shocks felt, only three of the instruments were affected. On the 30th July, 1841, a shock was felt at Comrie, when the pendulum of one of the instruments used, vibrated east and west. The ground vibrated considerably, and the chimnies of some houses a few miles from Comrie were thrown down. Mr. M'Farlane, who had the care of the instruments, describes the chimnies of some of the houses, and also the walls, as being rent, and that, generally, the walls so rent ran in a north and south direction, whilst those running east and west escaped. It was supposed that the particular spot from which the shocks emanated was at the distance of a few miles from Comrie, and the committee urged upon the association the desirableness of making further observations, in order to ascertain the cause of such shocks, and their frequent occurrence in Perthshire. The earthquakes were supposed to be owing to the agency of electricity, and were believed to have some connexion with the state of the weather. The committee urged upon the association to provide additional instruments for making meteorological observations, and expressed a hope that the efforts of the committee would be successful. After the paper had been read, thanks were voted to Dr. Buckland and Mr. David Milne, by whom it was communicated. Dr. Buckland then made some observations on the importance of having instruments to register the operations which are now going on in the bowels of the earth, and also to ascertain the causes of the other phenomena attending earthquakes. Within two years one hundred and seventy shocks of earthquake had been felt in the lower line of country of Perthshire, parallel to the Grampians. He referred to the late earthquake in St. Domingo, and to the probability of the same phenomena being more generally exhibited in this country.— Professor Sedgwick, after expressing his opinion that the state of the atmosphere was not so likely to have an effect in producing earthquakes, as the phenomena attending the latter were likely to affect the state of the atmosphere, expressed a hope that the association would, notwithstanding, provide all the requisite instruments for making meteorological observations.-Dr. Buckland said that what was called the earthquake season in Perthshire, was the rainy season in the winter months, and on that account the atmospheric phenomena had been supposed to have some effect in producing these small earthquakes; as for instance, through the infiltration of water. Mr. Nicholson, of Kendal, gave some account of an earthquake which occurred at Morecombe Bay, on Sunday week. On that day the thermometer was higher than it had ever been since 1826. He drew no inferences from that fact, although it did seem to form a connection between the state of the barometer and the earthquake itself. There had been great drought for some weeks previous to the earthquake, and rain came on the following day.

-A member of the association, whose name we could not learn, observed that earthquakes at Comrie were of recent origin, none having been known to take place prior to 1780.

A communication, by Dr. James Starke, "On the Structure and Mode of Formation of Glaciers," was next read. The paper gave an account of the discoveries that have been made by different scientific individuals respecting glaciers on the Alps, and other places. The author is opposed to the theory of M. Agassiz, respecting the origin of glaciers, from whose description of the glaciers in Switzerland, and also from the writings of Dr. Scoresby and others, who have visited the Polar regions, he arrives at the conclusion that glaciers are generally stratified in a vertical and longitudinal direction, and have been formed by the freezing of daily falls of snow. The granular and other variations from the vertical and longitudinal direction of the strata, happened in various ways. The granular appearance of the glaciers he supposed to be owing to large masses of ice falling over the barrier into the valley beneath, by which it was broken into fragments, and the water going over it a portion became solidified. Glaciers, he was of opinion, washed from an upper surface to a far greater extent than had hitherto been supposed, even from above what had been called "the line of perpetual snow. It had always appeared to him that there was scarcely a phenomenon in nature which might not be illustrated by something in our own country, and he had often thought that the formation of glacier stratification might be illustrated by reference to ice upon a small stream. The Chairman said he had the pleasure to return thanks to Dr. Starke for the communication that had been read. There was a number of gentlemen who might wish to take part in the discussion upon it, and he submitted to Dr. Buckland, who had given a great deal of attention to the subject, whether, as it was now within a few minutes of the legal hour (three o'clock), it would not be better to adjourn the meeting until to-morrow morning?Dr. Buckland thought the subject was not geological, but belonged to the physical section, as the question related to the construction of ice. The author, it appeared, had never been on the Alps, and was not, in his opinion, entitled to take those high views which he had done. There were gentlemen present who had been in the icy regions, and he thought, as they might not be present to-morrow, if they wished to make any observations, now was the time.-The Chairman agreed with Dr. Buckland that the subject was much better calculated for the physical section, and therefore would hand over the paper to Sir David Brewster, who might make what use of it he thought proper.-After a few words from Dr. Richardson and Lieut.-Colonel Sabine, the meeting adjourned.

SECTION D.-ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY.

President, the Dean of Manchester. This was an interesting meeting. The papers read were, the "Report of the Committee for the Preservation of Animal and Vegetable Substances," whose experiments had continued for four years. They found as good preservatives subcarbonate of potash and naptha, employed in the

proportion of one part to seven of water. Moderately good, but the specimens were rather too soft, were sulphate of magnesia and arseniate of potash. Moderately good, when examined in 1840, but the specimens now decomposed, were alum, muriates of ammonia and magnesia, nitre, sulphate of zinc, bi-carbonate of potash, and arsenite acid. The various sorts useless for the purposes of preservation :- -a few drops of kreosote in water is a good preservative, but stains the specimens brown, whilst corrosive sublimate preserves perfectly, but hardens the substances too much.-Mr. Blackwall

read a long paper "On the Palpi of Spiders," the result of many observations on living specimens.-Dr. Richardson exhibited a specimen of machorium subducens, from Port Essington, New Holland ; a remarkable fish, new to naturalists.-Dr. John Richardson, of Haslar, read a long paper "On the Present State of the Ichthyology of New Zealand." In many respects the zoology of this country is singular; quadrupeds being very rare, Captain Cook having only discovered the dog and rat, whilst Mr. Polak states that it nourishes no serpents nor snakes of any description. Upwards of one hundred varieties were described, many of which were new to ichthyologists.-Mr. Moore exhibited a collection of parasites, found in the carp and salmon, which gave rise to an interesting discussion.

SECTION F. STATISTICS.

The section was thinly attended, only about twenty gentlemen being present. This was probably owing to the fact that no business had been announced in the programme as likely to come before the section on that day.

Spade Husbandry.—The first paper read was one by Mrs. Davies Gilbert, widow of the late D. Gilbert, Esq., Secretary to the Royal Society. The paper was read by Mr. G. Webbe Hall, Bristol. It contained a statement of the advantages of small allotments of land, when cultivated by labourers, and also an account of the introduction of the system into a charity school at Winnington, near Eastbourne, in Sussex, by which the labour of boys for three hours a day, was made to pay for their instruction. The method of stallfeeding cattle was also recommended as superior to the grazing system, and extracts were introduced from the Farmer's Magazine, and Penny Cyclopædia, illustrative of the advantages produced by this system in different places in the south of England, where a number of families had been rescued from pauperism. Applause followed the reading of the paper, and thanks were voted to the authoress.Mr. Porter, of Ireland, said he had had much to do with this species of culture, and he could testify to the superior advantages of liquid manure and stall-feeding. He thought the suggestions thrown out in the paper most valuable.-Mr. Woollcombe expressed similar sentiments, as also did Colonel Sykes, who avowed his astonishment at the results recorded in the paper, and trusted that they would become generally known throughout the kingdom.-Mr.

Felkin, of Nottingham, spoke of the advantages of the division of land on the continent, particularly in Saxony, where the comforts of the poor manufacturing operatives were thereby considerably enhanced. Mr. Webbe Hall, who had been called on by the chairman, to give his opinion as to the practicability of the methods suggested, said it was clear that the system was one founded on the acknowledged principles of human nature; an appeal to which, rightly made, must ever be successful. He could testify that the results stated were quite within the bounds of possibility, probability, nay, even certainty. The Chairman remarked that the paper showed the value of co-operation between landlords and tenants, and the importance of combining industrial employment with the instruction of youth. The system would be a great boon to Ireland, though he thought, with Mr. Webbe Hall, that it would be visionary to cut up the whole of England into small allottments; that would be a retrocession, rather than an advance.-Colonel Sykes remarked that the system was evidently applicable on a large scale, as the authoress of the paper spoke of employing 300 labourers in that way on her farms.-Mr. Porter gave some further account of the operation of the system on his estates in Ireland, the introduction of which had been suggested to him by a former paper of Mrs. Davies Gilbert.

Supposed Influence of the Factory System in Developing Consumption. Mr. D. Noble, surgeon, of this town, next read a paper on this subject. He observed that the influence of the factory system in the deterioration of health and the production of disease, had been a subject of great diversity of opinion. It had been denounced in the strongest terms by physicians of the highest reputation, and had been reproached as destructive of every sound condition of the body, and as the fruitful source of consumption and scrofula. Before a committee of the House of Commons, obtained some years ago, by the late Mr. Saddler, these views had been very unequivocally expressed by several metropolitan members of the profession, and one witness had made bold to assert that scrofulous diseases were immeasureably more abundant in Manchester than in the metropolis and other places, and that the proportion in which such cases were developed could not be less than one in every ten individuals. Others had gone into the opposite extreme, and maintained that the factory labour was a true protective from consumption and scrofulous affections, and that, generally speaking, such deviations from sound health were less frequent here than elsewhere. Amidst such a diversity of opinion on a matter of fact, it might be difficult to determine the real state of things; but it was quite certain that many intelligent persons, both medical men and others, did regard working in factories as giving rise to pulmonary consumption, or as inducing it where a strong predisposition existed. Most of these founded their opinions on some theory, but the deductions from theory might be erroneous; and it was an interest

ing subject of inquiry whether such was the case. He proposed, first, to examine to what extent the general results obtained by the registrar-general of this country, confirmed the idea that pulmonary consumption was more prevalent in Manchester than in other large and populous districts. He should compare this with other towns where few or no manufactures existed; and should then subjoin some of the results of an examination which he had made, in conjunction with Mr. Ner Gardiner, of the registration books of this town, for the last three years: data which would serve to show the proportion which the whole number of cases of consumption occurring in this place bore to those of persons employed in factories. These statements might tend to elucidate the inquiry as to the special agency of factory employment in cases of consumption. He would first submit a few remarks as to the nature of the evidence furnished by our national system of registry. In very minute medical inquiries on special pathology, little or no aid could be drawn from this source; but when the object was to determine the general character of the diseases prevalent in various parts of the kingdom, and to estimate the influence of outward causes in the production of fatal disease, the facts to be gathered from the registration books became of great importance. The causes of death being generally recorded on no better authority than that of the parties giving information to the registrar, parties who were unprovided with any medical certificate, and who gave their answers to the questions in popular phraseology, an intimate knowledge of which phraseology was necessary in examining the registries; yet in spite of these drawbacks, very satisfactory and practical useful results might be obtained. The numerical statement he was about to submit had been taken from the third and last published report of the registrar-general, and the figures applied exclusively to the year 1839; but, on a comparison of this with the foregoing reports, he found a remarkable accordance in all the main results : an accordance which furnished the strongest proof of the importance of these documents in a statistical point of view. According to the census of 1831 (that of 1841 not having been obtained at the period of the publication of these registration reports), there were 49,392 families resident in Manchester and Salford, and the entire number of deaths in 1839 was 9,223, of which 1,451 were recorded as having been from consumption. This, rejecting fractions, was at the rate of one death annually from consumption in 34 families, and, in proportion to the deaths from all causes, those from consumption were 3 to every 19. This truly furnished very decisive evidence as to the prevalence of consumption in this district, and, taken by itself might seem to afford evidence that factory employment, so prevalent here, was in a great measure the instrument in producing this state of things. For, taking Essex, a purely agricultural country, he found that in 1831, it contained 62,403 families, exceeding by 13,000 the number in