Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle. 287 



the scientific world is about to be put in possession of this 

 rich fund of new information upon so many objects of natural 

 history, are of a somewhat unusual nature ; for pecuniary as- 

 sistance has, in this country, hitherto been rarely extended 

 by the government, for the advancement of zoological know- 

 ledge, by specific grants to aid the publication of such works 

 as the present. Although the assistance so liberally afforded 

 to Mr. Darwin on the present occasion,* cannot fail of being 

 a source of gratification to all those who feel an interest in 

 the progress of Zoology, as indicating the just appreciation 

 of the value of his labours, in the quarter from which that 

 assistance was derived, at the same time we cannot help ex- 

 pressing our conviction, that the policy of this measure on 

 the part of the government, is, to a certain extent, a debata- 

 ble point. That the immediate result is a beneficial one, can- 

 not be disputed ; but is it not brought about by the interven- 

 tion of means involving consequences which, to a greater or 

 less extent, may operate injuriously upon the very cause which 

 it was originally intended to serve ? 



How many ardent cultivators of scientific pursuits there 

 are in the field of Natural History, the results of whose labors 

 are launched forth, backed only by their own resources, or 

 those of their publishers ! Purchasers are prone, inconside- 

 rately perhaps, to judge by comparison ; and when a scienti- 

 fic volume of such paramount interest as the one in question, 

 comes before the public at a price far less than the actual ex- 

 pense of publication, may not the prospective effect be unfa- 

 vorable, as regards the making public the researches of those 

 naturalists, who may not be so fortunate as to gain a share of 

 the same powerful co-operation ? 



It is perhaps almost unnecessary to remark, save for the 

 sake of argument, that instances might readily be mentioned 

 of individuals, who, in devoting their time and energies to the 

 illustration of particular departments of Natural History, are, 

 to a very great extent, dependant upon the encouragement 

 given to scientific publications, and who could not, by possi- 

 bility, employ their talents in pursuits of this nature, unless 

 able, from their scientific acquirements, to reap some pecuni- 

 ary advantage. Now if a certain proportion of expensively 

 illustrated works are offered by government to the public, at 

 a greatly reduced price, a natural consequence will be, that 

 these will sell, to the partial exclusion of some of the more 

 costly publications which are brought out at individual risk, 



*A similar grant has also been made to Dr. Andrew Smith, for his forth- 

 coming work on South African Zoology. 

 Vol. II. — No. 17. n. s b b 



