The Demetian Mirror

(From the Morning Chronicle. ) The pertinacious attempts of the Tory press to prove that Ministers ought, in common decency, to have resigned their places in consequence of the events of last Session, are rivalled in absurdity by the extravagances of the French writers, who thought to console their national vanity, writhing under the ago- nies of defeat, by demonstrating, that according to all the rules of war, the English were beaten at Waterloo, and ought to have run away. Deep, indeed, must the mortification of the scouts and hangers on of the Tory camp be, if their baffled appetite for place can find any nutriment in such unsubstantial flummery as the Times serves up as a substitute for the solid good things of office, which they fondly imagined were within their grasp. Poor wretches we grudge them not this miserable satisfaction on the contrary, we almost sympathise with the soreness they feel at the cool-blooded cruelty of our able contemporary of the Scotsman, who has reft away even this last rag of consolation, by demonstrating, on the unanswerable authority of facts and history, that according to the strictest rule and precedent of the palmy days of bo- roughmongering Parliaments and Tory Cabinets, Ministers are not only justified, but bound and cal- led upon to retain possession of the reins of Govern- ment. It is amusing to watch the inconsistencies of the Times in its impotent attempt to answer this able article. It cannot but provoke a smile to see Sir Robert Peel held up as a paragon of parliamentary punctilio, because he retained office for two months in the face of a House of Commons in which he never obtained one single majority, while the Whigs are accused of unparalleled baseness because they do not resign the very moment they are beaten in some acci- dental unimportant division. For our own part, however, we frankly confesss we attach little import- ance to these appeals to precedent. The affairs of a great nation ought not to be conducted on the narrow pettifogging maxims of special-pleading ingenuity. The question is, not what would have been done in times past, under a different regime and different sys- tem, but what ought to be done now. If by retaining office the Whigs are retarding the advances of the great principles of civil and religious liberty to which they are pledged—weakening the Liberal party, by whose support, and as whose representatives they were raised to and are retained in power—obstructing the peace, prosperity, and union of the empire at home-compromising its interests and lowering its reputation abroad-then, we repeat it, although they had the Parliamentary precedents of a thousand Per- cevals and Castlereaghs to bear them out, they are base, unprincipled and degraded beyond the power of language to express. If, on the other hand, by standing firm at their posts they can feel the animat- ing consciousness that they are doing their duty, and are the instruments of good if in so doing they have the almost unanimous support of the great Liberal party of England-of the independent yeomanry- the intelligent middle classes-the important city constituencies, who have stood by them in so many battles, and to whom they are bound by so many ties; if they have the favour of their Royal mistress, whom they have pledged their honour not to desert-and if, above all, they feel that their presence at the head of affairs is necessary to save the honoured name of England from such disasters and humiliations as befel her, when, in 1828 and 1829 the task of watching the complicated web of Eastern affairs, checking the rival ambition of France and Russia, and maintaining the balance of power essential to the peace and wel- fare of Europe, was entrusted to the pusillanimous and unskilful hands of the very men who now seek to suc- ceed them in office-then we say shame upon them if they shrink, shame upon them if they think for a single moment of abandoning the post where they are bound by every consideration of duty and honour to remain.

CFrom the John Bull.) We are happy to give an exceedingly good account of the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Bri- tish Association for the advancement of Science, which, as we previously announced, has been held at Glasgow. The Marquis of Breadalbane, as we last week stated he would, took the chair, and the attend- ance of ladies and gentlemen was highly respectable; in addition to Mr. Quelty, of Munich, Mr. Espy, of America, who is universally known as entertaining views at variance with Colonel Capper and Mr. Red- field—his arrival in time for the important discus- sions of the question whether in great storms the wind from all points tends to a settled point in right lines, or that the motion of the wind is gyratory, ex- cited the greatest attention, especially amongst the ladies, and the vendors of peppermint lozenges. On Friday the different sections were crowded to excess. In that of chymistry and mineralogy, Dr. Playfair read a paper by Mr. Glover, on the employ- ment of bromite and iodine of bromine for the pur- pose of obtaining dydrombromic and hydriodic acid in atomic proportions, which was loudly applauded. Professor Bunsen read the next paper on Kalcodyle, of which arsenic is the principal ingredient. The pro- duction of this compound is very dangerous, and the Professor has been severely injured by his experi- ments. As the learned gentleman was not sufficiently communicative to state the benefits which were likely to result from his Kakodyle," it is impossible for us to decide whether the result would justify the re- search. Professor Johnson delivered a statement about coals, and Mr. W. Keir read an elaborate paper upon the geology of the turnpike road leading to Castle Hill, Adrossan. Mr. Babington announced a fact to his section which we are sure will be hailed with universal satis- faction, not only by our readers, but the British peo- ple at large-namely, that he had actually discovered some flax-dodder," in a field at Borishole, in Ire- land that which renders this discovery most important is his conviction of its being distinct from the C. Europoea of Linnaeus. In the medical section, Dr. Newbigging read an extremely interesting paper on the use of Croton oil; after a delicate discussion of its effects, Mr. Abercrom- bie suggested in lieu of at least, where very young children who had the crowing disease" were con- cerned, a combination of iron, rhubarb, and musk." —(Loud cheers.) In the statistical section, Dr. Chalmers read apaper on the application of statistics to moral and econo- mical purposes," which lasted two hours and eight minutes. At its conclusion Lord Mounteagle moved a vote of thanks to the learned doctor; but whether for the paper, or for his finishing it, we cannot say. In mechanical science Mr. Hawkins exhibited a small instrument for taking the dip of strata, which was hailed with enthusiasm. Mr. Fairbairn read a paper to prove that iron is strong, which was received with great approbation. The same gentleman exhi- bited a model of an engine for pumping water. In the evening there was a promenade at the Ex- change, which seemed to be the most agreeable part of the affair, although the professors of wine-ology thought proper to charge a wonderfully high price for gooseberry wine, converted by associated talent into Champagne. On Monday Sir David Brewster, to whom we be- lieve the world is indebted for that most useful of all discoveries, the "kaleidoscope," exhibited to the sages the daguerrotype," which, if the thing itself was not exhibited at every optician's shop in London, and pur- chasable also, would perhaps have created a greater sensation; but Dr. Reid went far beyond this, be- cause he explained to the audience that by mixing soap and water in a bottle, one may make a rainbow at command, by blowing upon the bubble. We have seen small boys and playful girls doing this sort of thing with tobacco-pipes and gally-pots it is there- fore most gratifying to know that a saving in those clay tubes may be effected by blowing into the bottle itself. Mr. Murchison, the General Secretary, gave a brief statement of his geological tour in Russia, and in the presence of another General (General Tzcheffkine), bore testimony to the respect with which he had been treated in those parts. We really do not see why he should not be so treated-Mr. Murchison is a gentle- man universally esteemed in his own country—why not everywhere else ? In the Zoological department, Dr. Lizars read an interesting paper on the intellectual qualities of the salmon. Professor Agassis, in almost every point, agreed with the learned Doctor. After this, the usual appointment of officers took place. The next assem- bly is to be held in Plymouth and Dock—nicknamed Devonport for gentility—with that most able and excellent man, Professor Whewell (who good-na- turedly lends himself to the important affair), as Pre- sident. Mr. John Taylor announced that the Association had grabbed £ 2,4.90, of which X500 was subscribed by the Corporation of Glasgow. Then came another promenade-no regular ball that we have heard of; and so the sages departed.

Abergavenny Cymreigyddion Society.-It is stated by two or three of our neighbouring Contemporaries, that Dr. Thirlwall, the learned Bishop of St. David's, who since his election to his See, has applied himself unwearyingly to the study of the Welsh language, with the view to secure the affections and promote the best interests of his people, intends to honour this Eisteddfod with his presciiee.-Sun.