As regards the steam-engine, it is the opinion of competent authorities that the limits of temperature between which it works are so restricted, and so much of the heat is expended in producing a change of state from liquid to vapor, that little further improvement can be made. With respect to gas-engines, the limits of temperature are much further apart. A change of state is not required, and so very great improvement may still be looked for. It is not impossible even that some of the younger members of our body may live to see that period foretold by one of the greatest of our civil engineers--that happy time when boiler explosions will only be matters of history; that period, not a millennium removed by a thousand years, but an era deferred perhaps by only half a dozen decades, when the use of the gas-engine will be universal, and "a steam-engine can be found only in a cabinet of antiquities." _Discussion._ The President said this was a very delightful paper; and nothing could be finer than Mr. Lane's description of the conversion of heat into power, and the gradual growth of theory into practical work. Mr. W. Foulis (Glasgow) agreed that it was admirable; but it required to be read to be thoroughly appreciated. When members were able to read it, they would find Mr. Lane had given a very clear description of the elementary principles of thermo-dynamics in their relation to the gas-engine and the steam-engine. There was very little in the paper to raise discussion; but Mr. Lane had made exceedingly clear how the present loss in a gas-engine was occasioned, and had also shown how, in the future development of the engine, the loss might be saved, and the engine rendered more efficient. Mr. H.P. Holt (of Messrs. Crossley Bros., Limited) said he could indorse everything Mr. Lane had said. He had found the paper most interesting and instructive even to himself, though he had some little practical experience of gas-engines, and was supposed to know a little about them. He did not pretend to be able to teach other people; but if he could say anything as to indicator cards, or answer any questions, he should be happy to do so. (He then described the indicator diagram of the atmospheric gas-engine.) In this engine the proportion of the charging stroke to the whole sweep of the piston was about 10 per cent.; and as the charge drawn in consisted of about 10 per cent. of gas, about 1-100 of the total sweep of the piston was composed of the gas. Mr. Foulis asked what proportion the power indicated on the diagram bore to the power indicated on the brake in the atmospheric engine.