Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889
Various
Science -- Periodicals
Sir Lowthian Bell, Bart., F.R.S., in moving a vote of thanks, said
that the meeting had had the privilege of listening to a description
of results obtained by a man of exceptional intelligence and learning,
supplemented by that devotion of mind which qualified him to pursue
his work with great energy and perseverance. The importance of the
president's address could not possibly be overrated. At various
periods different substances had been put forward as indications of
the civilization of the people. He remembered hearing from Dr. Ure
that he considered the consumption of sulphuric acid to be the most
accurate measure of the civilization of the people.
In course of time sulphuric acid gave way to soap, the consumption of
which was probably still regarded as the great exponent of
civilization by such of his fellow citizens as had thereby made their
name. From what he had heard that morning, however, he should be
inclined to make soap yield to ammonia, as sulphuric acid had in its
time succumbed to soap. For not only was ammonia of great importance
to us as a manufacturing nation, but it almost appeared to be a
condition of our existence. England had a large population
concentrated on an area so small as to make it almost a matter of
apprehension whether the surface could maintain the people upon it.
We were now importing almost as much food as we consumed, and were
thus more and more dependent on the foreigner. Under certain
conditions this would become a very serious matter, and thus any one
who showed how to produce plenty of ammonia at a cheap rate was a
benefactor to his country. Mr. Mond's process seemed to come nearer to
success than any which had preceded it, and it needed no words from
him to induce the meeting to accord a hearty vote of thanks to the
president for his admirable paper.
Mr. J. C. Stevenson, M.P., in seconding the motion, said that no paper
could be more interesting and valuable to the society than that
delivered by the president. It opened out a future for the advancement
of chemical industry which almost overcame one by the greatness of its
possibilities. Mr. Mond had performed an invaluable service by
investigating the various methods proposed for the manufacture of
ammonia, and clearing the decks of those processes supposed by their
inventors to be valuable, but proved by him to be delusive. It gave
him hearty pleasure therefore to second the vote of thanks proposed by
Sir Lowthian Bell.
The vote having been put and carried by acclamation, after a brief
reply from the president:
The secretary read the report of the scrutators, which showed that 158
ballot papers had been sent in, 154 voting for the proposed list
intact, and four substituting other names. The gentlemen nominated in
the list issued by the Council were therefore declared elected.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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