A IIALF-CENTURY OF SCIENCE. 217 



not until 1838 that the Sirius and Great Western first steamed across 

 the Atlantic. The steamer, in fact, is an excellent epitome of the 

 progress of the half -century ; the paddle has been superseded by the 

 screw ; the compound has replaced the simple engine ; wood has given 

 place to iron, and iron in its turn to steel. The saving in dead weight, 

 by this improvement alone, is from ten to sixteen per cent. The speed 

 has been increased from nine knots to fifteen, or even more. Lastly, 

 the steam-pressure has been increased from less than five pounds to 

 seventy pounds per square inch, while the consumption of coal has 

 been brought down from five or six pounds per horse-power to less 

 than two. It is a remarkable fact that not only is our British ship- 

 ping rapidly on the increase, but it is increasing relatively to that of 

 the rest of the world. In 1860 our tonnage was 5,700,000 against 

 7,200,000 ; while it may now be placed as 8,500,000 against 8,200,000 ; 

 so that considerably more than half the whole shipping of the world 

 belongs to this country. 



If I say little with reference to economic science and statistics, it 

 is because time, not materials, is wanting. 



I scarcely think that, in the present state of the question, I can be 

 accused of wandering into politics if I observe that the establishment 

 of the doctrine of free trade as a scientific truth falls within the period 

 under review. 



In education some progress has been made toward a more rational 

 system. When I was at a public school^ neither science, modern lan- 

 guages, nor arithmetic formed any part of the school system. This is 

 now happily changed. Much, however, still remains to be done. Too 

 little time is still devoted to French and German, and it is much to be 

 regretted that even in some of our best schools they are taught as dead 

 languages. Lastly, with few exceptions, only one or two hours on an 

 average are devoted to science. We have, I am sure, none of us any 

 desire to exclude or discourage literature. What we ask is that, say, 

 six hours a week each should be devoted to mathematics, modern lan- 

 guages, and science, an arrangement which would still leave twenty 

 hours for Latin and Greek. I admit the difficulties which schoolmas- 

 ters have to contend with ; nevertheless, when we consider what science 

 has done and is doing for us, we can not but consider that our present 

 system of education is, in the words of the Duke of Devonshire's com- 

 mission, little less than a national misfortune. 



In agriculture the changes which have occurred in the period since 

 1831 have been immense. The last half-century has witnessed the in- 

 troduction of the modern system of subsoil drainage founded on the 

 experiments of Smith, of Deanston. The thrashing and drilling ma- 

 chines were the most advanced forms of machinery in use in 1831. 

 Since then there have been introduced the steam-plow ; the mowing- 

 machine ; the reaping-machine, which not only cuts the corn but binds 

 it into sheaves ; while the steam-engine thrashes out the grain and 



