what the public really wanted. The public wanted such things as Mr. Cunynghame had exhibited, but they had not been produced by the trade. It was not of the slightest consequence that a furnace which would melt 7 or 14lbs. of metal should not be more than 8 or 10 inches in diameter; it was of the utmost consequence that it should behave as Mr. Cunynghame's furnaces had done that evening. The members of the Society of Arts had had more than one occasion to thank the author of the paper for his ingenuity in applying principles, well-known or the reverse, to produce that which was wanted. A year or two ago he described one of the most valuable developments of a metallurgical art, viz., the method of brazing or silversoldering by the use, not of borax in water, which frothed up and displaced the soldering material, and was generally a nuisance in the fire, but of melted borax-borax glass-ground excessively fine with petroleum or vaseline. Anyone who had used the method would wonder how it was that it was not absolutely universal, but many people seemed never to have heard of it. What Mr. Cunynghame had shown in his present paper, would be the beginning of the removal of difficulties out of the path of those who were practising, on an experimental scale, the metallurgical art, whether for artistic or utilitarian purposes. Mr. CUNYNGHAME, in reply to the question asked about the interior arrangement of the furnace, said that was an exceedingly important matter. He had tried many experiments for the purpose of determining the best interior form of the chamber which surrounded the muffle. The following principles should be adopted :-With a muffle up to about five inches in diameter he would not suggest, in an economical furnace, that more than half-an-inch should be left on each side; if more was used, the heat would be wasted. If the muffle was bigger than five inches, perhaps three-quarters of an inch might be left. At first he made the tops of two shapes. In one instance he tried high tops, but he found there was an enormous accumulation of hot air that rushed up the chimney and did no good, so he filled the space up with broken pieces of fire-clay material, such as was used for small gas fires. It then occurred to him that it was no use having the chamber at all, so he abolished it, and from that time the success of the furnace began. The furnaces exhibited were made with a top not more than half an inch clear all the way round, and at each end of the muffle, at the front and the back, there was a chimney duly proportioned to the size of the furnace. For a five-inch muffle, a chimney about one inch square for each chimney would carry off the flame. There was no harm in making it bigger, because if it as made a little too big it could be covered up from the top. There was the further advantage that the heat could be thrown to the front or back by covering the front or back chimney. There were various ways of clay lining putting the muffle into the furnace. In one of the furnaces he had made the top open, with a piece that could be lifted out of the centre of the furnace from the top; sometimes he had the back open, and pushed the muffle in from the back. Upon the whole, he preferred the mode where there was a block which came out from the top. The second necessity was to get a good fire at least half-an-inch thick inside, and gradually to graduate it off, mixing more and more of the asbestos with it till eventually pure asbestos was used. The thickness was mainly a question of the temperature inside and out; for a temperature of 1500°, not less than four inches should be used. For melting cast iron, probably it would be necessary to have six or seven inches; and for one of the largest furnaces for a brassfounder, it would be necessary to have the fireclay walls four inches thick with a foot of asbestos round them, which would make a splendid nonconducting zone, and this, after an hour or two's use would give a glorious heat. The amount of metal which could be melted with an extremely small expenditure of fuel was astonishing. On the motion of the CHAIRMAN, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Cunynghame for his paper, and the meeting terminated. Miscellaneous. MEMORIAL TABLETS. In 1901, the London County Council took over the work, initiated by the Society of Arts, of commemorating the residence in houses in London of distinguished persons. From a statement lately issued by Mr. Laurence Gomme, the Clerk of the Council, it appears that the necessary preliminaries in connection with the preparation of a design to be adopted for the memorial tablets, the obtaining of tenders for the work of making the tablets, and the investigation of a number of houses which it had been suggested should be distinguished, have occupied a considerable time; but now that these preliminaries are completed the work will proceed rapidly. The Council has already approved of the fixing of tablets on the following houses- (1) Holly-lodge, Campden-hill-the house in which Lord Macaulay died. (2) No. 122, Great Portland-street-which stands on the site of the house in which James Boswell died. (3) No. 67, Wimpole-street-a residence of Henry Hallam. (4) No. 48, Doughty-street, Mecklenburgh-square -a residence of Charles Dickens. (5) No. 22, Theobald's-road-the birthplace of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. (6) No. 4, Whitehall-gardens-the house in which Sir Robert Peel died, (7) No. 56, Devonshire-street, Portland-place—a residence of Sir John Herschel. (8) No. 1, Devonshire-terrace, Portland-place-a residence of Charles Dickens. (9) No. 12, Clarges-street, Piccadilly-a residence of Edmund Kean. The necessary preliminary enquiries and investigations concerning a number of others are almost completed. Among the persons in commemoratian of whom it is probable that the Council will, at no very distant date, be recommended to erect tablets may be mentioned Henry Cavendish, James ClerkMaxwell, Charles Darwin, William Hazlitt, William Pitt, Samuel Richardson, and Thomas Young. Of the tablets which the Council has already determined to erect, tablet No. (1) was unveiled on the 26th inst., by the Earl of Rosebery, thus inaugurating the Council's work in this direction. Tablet No. (4) is ready to be fixed, and Nos. (3), (5), and (6) will be ready very shortly. Since the Council determined to affix a tablet in the case of No. (2) very careful consideration has been given to the question whether it is desirable to continue the practice, occasionally adopted by the Society of Arts, of putting up tablets on comparatively new houses which occupy the sites of the actual premises in which the persons to be commemorated lived. As a result it is probable that in the near future the Council will be recommended to abandon the proposal to erect a tablet on No. 122, Great Portland-street, and to indicate instead a house actually occupied at one time by Boswell. The procuring of the necessary consents for the erection of tablets in the cases of the above houses has necessitated a correspondence with a large number of persons having interests in the premises, aud the Council acknowledges the courtesy and consideration which have been extended to it in the matter. The form of tablet has been designed under the direction of the Council's Superintending Architect, Mr. W. E. Riley, F.H.I.B.A., who advises the Council as to the position in which the tablets should be fixed, and under whose supervision they are erected. MINES AND QUARRIES, 1902. The third part of Sir C. Le Neve Foster's general report and statistics for 1902, containing particulars of output, has just been published, from which it appears that the value of the minerals produced at the mines and quarries of the United Kingdom in 1902 was £107,134.854, a decrease of eight millions compared with the preceding year owing to the reduced prices paid for coal. The total output of coal was 227,095,042 tons, which is the largest on record, for it exceeds by 1,913,742 tons the quantity produced in 1899. Compared with the output of 1901, there is a rise of 8,048,097 tons; this increase was due mainly to the larger number of persons employed, though the slight increase of five tons in the yield per underground worker has a small share in accounting for the rise. It appears that 166,694.908 tons were consumed in the United Kingdom, or nearly 4 tons per head of the population; 17,649,137 tons of coal were used in blast furnaces for making pig-iron. The quantity of coal exported, exclusive of coke, patent fuel, and coal shipped for use of steamers engaged in foreign trade, was 43,159,046 tons, an increase of 1,281,965 tons compared with the preceding year, a decrease of 930,151 tons compared with 1900, which is the year with the highest recorded export. If the quantities of patent fuel, coke and coal shipped for use of steamers engaged in foreign trade, are added, the total amount of coal which left this country was 60,400,134 tons, or about as much as the entire output of the kingdom half a century ago. The principal customers were France, which took 7,600,111 tons, Italy 5,994,910 tons, and Germany 5,835,644 tons. CANTOR LECTURES. The following courses of Cantor Lectures will be delivered on Monday evenings, at 8 o'clock: BENNETT H. BROUGH, "The Mining of 'Non-Metallic Minerals." Four Lectures. LECTURE IV.-DECEMBER 14.-Precious Stones : -Diamond-Corundum Gems - Emerald - Other Precious Stones-Ornamental Stones-Rare Earths. J. LEWKOWITSCH, PhD., M.A., F.I.C., "Oil and Fats-their Uses and Applications." Four Lectures. January 25, February 1, 8, 15. CHARLES T. JACOBI, "Modern Book Printing." Two Lectures. February 22, 29. BERTRAM BLOUNT, F.I.C., "Recent Advances in Electro Chemistry." Three Lectures. March 7, 14, 21. The following course will be delivered on Monday afternoons, at 4.30 o'clock: PROF. R. LANGTON DOUGLAS, M.A., "The Majolica and Glazed Earthenware of 'Tuscany." Three Lectures. April 25, May 2, 9. JUVENILE LECiures. Two lectures, suitable for a juvenile audience, will be delivered on Wednesday Evenings, January 6 and 13, 1904, at 5 o'clock, on "Navigation of the Air," by ERIC STUART BRUCE, M.A. MEETINGS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. British Architects, 9, Conduit-street, W., 8 pm. Medical, 11, Chandos-street, W., & p.m. 'Deposits in Pipes and other Channels conveying Potable Water." 2. Messrs. Osbert Chadwick and Bertram Blount, "The Purification of Water highly charged with Vegetable Matter; with special reference to the effect of Aeration." Statistical, 9, Adelphi-terrace, W.C., 5 pm. Mr. Alexander Siemens, "The Metrical System of Weights and Measures." Pathological, 20, Hanover-square, W., 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16...SOCIETY OF ARTS, John-street, The Science of Taxation and Business." Meteorological, 25, Great George-street, S.W.,7} p.m. 1. Mr. William Marriott, "Some Account of the Meteorological Work of the late James Glaisher."" 2. Mr. J. R. Sutton, "Certain Relationships between the Diurnal Curves of Barometric Pressure and Vapour Tension at Kimberley, South Africa." Geological, Burlington-house, W., 8 p.m. Chemical, Burlington-house, W., 8 p.m. 1. Messrs. J. J. Dobbie, A. Lauder, and C. K. Tinkler, "The relative Strengths of the Fixed Bases and of Ammonia as Measured by their Action on Cotarnine." 2. Mr. J. C. Cain, "New Halogen Derivatives of Diphenyl and Dihydroxy-Diphenyl." Mr. E. Divers, "Constitution of Nitric Peroxide.' 4. Mr. E. Divers, "Sabatier's Nitroso-Disulphonic Acid." 5. Messrs. A. G. Perkin and E. Phipps, "Notes on some Natural Colouring Matters." 6. Messrs. T. E. Thorpe and J. Holmes, "The Estimation of Methyl Alcohol in Presence of Ethyl Alcohol." 3. Microscopical, 20, Hanover-square, W., 8 p.m. 1. Mr. George J. Hinde, "The Structure and Affinities of the Genus Porosphæra." 2. Mr. F. W. Watson Baker, "Exhibition of a Series of Slides, illustrating the development of an Ascidian." British Archæological Association, 32, Sackvillestreet, W., 8 p.m. THURSDAY, DEC. 17... Linnean, Burlington-house, W., 8 p.m. 1. Mr. H. J. Fleure, "The Docoglossa; a Study in Evolution." London Institution, Finsbury-circus, E.C., 6 p.m. Messrs. A. J. Bull and A. C. Jolley, “The Function of Iri- Electrical Engineers, 25, Great George-street, S. W., Historical, Clifford's Inn Hall Fleet-street, E.C. Numismatic, 22, Albemarle-street, W., 6 p.m. FRIDAY, DEC. 18...Civil Engineers, 25, Great George-street, S.W., 8 p.m. (Students' Meeting.) 1. Mr. C. B. Case, The Action on the Sea upon the Foreshore." 2. Mr. F. W. Cable, "The Causes of the Loss of Beaches." Art Workers' Guild, Clifford's-inn Hall, Fleetstreet, E.C., 8 p m. Architectural Association, 9. Conduit-street, W., Quekett Microscopical Club, 20, Hanover-square, Mechanical Engineers, Storey's gate, Westminster, The CHAIRMAN (Mr. H. Bauerman) pro Journal of the Society of Arts. posed a vote of thanks to Mr. Brough for his interesting course of lectures, which was carried unanimously. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1903. All communications for the Society should be addressed to the Secretary, John-street, Adelphi, London, W.C. Notices. THE LATE SIR FREDERICK At their meeting on Monday, the 14th inst., the Council of the Society passed the following resolution : The Council desire to place on record their appreciation of the loss which the Society has sustained by the death of Sir Frederick Bramwell, a Past-President of the Society, and a Member of Council in various capacities since 1875. The Council feel it would be difficult to overrate the services which Sir Frederick rendered the Society in the promotion of the objects for which it was instituted, or the manner in which he was always ready to devote time and thought to the advancement of those objects. Sir Frederick Bramwell had a sincere attachment to the Society, and this feeling was reciprocated by all those of its members with whom he came in contact. His colleagues on the Council regarded him not only with respect, but with a sincere affection won by his constant geniality, the kindliness of his nature, and his unfailing courtesy of manner, and they mourn the loss not only of a valuable colleague, but of a dear friend. They also desire to assure Lady Bramwell and her two daughters of their very sincere sympathy in the loss which they have sustained. CANTOR LECTURES. Mr. BENNETT H. BROUGH delivered the fourth and last lecture of his course on "The Mining of the Non-Metallic Minerals," on Monday evening, 14th inst. placed before the English people, its limitation to the self-governing colonies alone, and the neglect of its author to take into account the position of India as by far the most important of all the possessions of the Crown, and to find a place for it in the projected federation of the Empire, has given to his scheme an air of want of thoroughness which makes it difficult of acceptance. THE POSITION OF THE COLONIES. It is easy to understand why in these later days the colonies have loomed so disproportionately large in the panorama of the British Empire. During the war in South Africa, when England had been overwhelmed by a succession of disasters, and when she stood in sore need of friendly help, the colonies spontaneously rushed to her assistance, and, without counting the cost, spent their blood and treasure freely to save the Empire to which they were proud to belong from humiliation and possible ruin. The priceless worth of the services thus rendered by the colonies placed England under an obligation which she must always grate. fully remember. The pride of race was then manifested by our kinsmen in its brightest form. They came forward to fight by our side because they had inherited our instincts, our traditions, our literature, tastes, manners, and habits, and because they wished to show on the battlefield that men of English blood, born in far distant lands, had not degenerated from their forefathers The saying of a Canadian statesman, that Paardeberg had made Canada a nation, indicated the spirit which made them send forth their contingents; perhaps it was still more frankly expressed in a letter from a Highland cousin of mine in Canada, who, writing to tell me that his son had been appointed to a commission in the first Canadian column that went to the front, exclaimed, "Now we will let Englishmen see that we can fight shoulder to shoulder with them against any foe." We may justly feel proud of the feelings of intense respect and affection for the old country which inspired this remarkable uprising of the colonies. These feelings were the fruit of the confidence and liberality with which England had, for at least a century, treated the new nations which were growing up under her wing, and they formed a magnificent tribute to the excellence of our modern colonial system. It must be borne in mind that this spirit of deep-seated and enthusiastic loyalty to the Empire was not called forth first of all by the South African war; it was displayed with equal energy in the case of the Australian contingent which was sent to the Soudan when Mr. Gladstone was making preparations for a war against Russia, and when it appeared possible that the security of our high road to India and Australia might be threatened. The causes of colonial co-operation were permanent, and independent of political parties or individual statesmen. THE CHANGES EFFECTED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. "A stricken field," as Lord Salisbury said, changes the face of the world, and we need not be surprised that new ideas took possession of men's minds after new nations had been called into existence by the struggle in South Africa, and that a generous desire was felt by all Englishmen to take advantage of an unequalled opportunity in the history of the Empire to cement into a closer political and administrative union the alliance which had been created by war. This was, indeed, a tempting dream. Why should not the colonies, which had so much in common with us, be associated with England by common institutions and a uniform Imperial policy? It was with this object that colonial conferences were held in London, at which questions of the highest importance to the Empire were discussed. But it soon became apparent that political unity could not be secured by any other bond than the link of loyalty to the Crown. The colonies would not hear of subordinating themselves to an Imperial Council sitting in London; they refused to merge their forces in an Imperial Army and Navy, and, even as regards the framing of tariffs and the collection of revenue, they each claimed the right to stand aloof, to preserve their own fiscal independence, and, in the memorable saying of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, not even for the sake of the British Empire, to accept laws laid down by the Imperial Parliament. Nor was it reasonable to suppose that the colonies could, consistently with their past history, take any other course. Throughout the whole of the 19th century the dominant note of colonial sentiment was a desire to break away from the supremacy of Downing-street and to found distinct nationalities in the separate parts of the British Empire. The lesson which we learnt by the loss of the New World through our injudicious attempt to tax the American colonies was not lost upon the |