A Lecture on “Light with special reference to the Spectroscope & Polariscope” was given by the Rev. A.C.E. Blowfield at the Ordinary Meeting held on the 26 Jan 1887. This report had been extracted from the Minute Book 1886-1894

The Lecturer in the first place drew attention to the many analogies between Light & Sound and described at considerable length the leading features of the Wave theory of Light, illustrating his meaning by familiar examples and diagrams.
Light travels at the rate of about 185,000 miles in a second and at this speed would occupy nearly 8 minutes in travelling the distance between the Earth & the Sun. Many of the properties of Light were described & especial attention was drawn to its Spectroscopic study. The popular form of the Spectroscope was shown & the advantages resulting from the use of a narrow slit in place of a circular aperture referred to. Mr. Blowfield then exhibited a diagram of the Solar System & fully explained the reason why dark bands occur in it in place of bright light.
Polarized Light & some of its properties were then attended to & the construction of the Nicol’s Prism explained & illustrated.
Additional interest was given to the subject by the exhibition of well executed diagrams which were thrown upon the Screen by means of an Oxy-Hydrogen Lantern lent for the occasion by Mr. Stiles & managed by him. The valuable assistance thus rendered the lecturer acknowledged in kindly terms.
At the close Dr. Sykes proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Blowfield for his clever & most interesting Lecture.