THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 263 



^^ It differs also from them in its constitution and 

 " details ; in the migratory character of its meetings ; 

 ^' in encouraging oral discussion through its several 

 " separate sections, as the principal medium of 

 "making known among its members the opinions, 

 " views, and discoveries of each other, in calling 

 *' upon eminent men to prepare reports upon the ex- 

 " isting state of knowledge, in the principal depart- 

 " ments of science ; and in publishing only, abstracts 

 " or notices of all those other contributions, which 

 " it has not as a body called for ; in short, in 

 " attempting to induce men of science to w^ork more 

 " together than they do elsewhere ; to establish a 

 " system of more strict co-operation between the 

 "labourers in one common field, and thus, to effect 

 " more fully, than other societies can do, the com- 

 " bination of intellectual exertions." 



I hope I have satisfied your cool and deliberate 

 judgment that the British Association have not been 

 neglectful of the objects for which they were associ- 

 ated ; if I have not read to you a list of the papers 

 which were produced in each sectional room, I have 

 abstained, because such an enumeration could with 

 difficulty be remembered, and therefore be of no use 

 to you ; if any of you desire to be acquainted with 

 them they may be perused at your leisure, and in 

 retirement, when it will be of use, as your own library 

 furnishes you with publications containing all this 

 information. 



It w^ill have appeared, that our time was not 

 wholly s])ent in fetes and dinners. 



If two or three hours were given up to sociability 

 in the evening, it was after the whole morning had 

 been devoted to labour. 



I am free to confess, however, that I earnestly 

 wish ; now that we return to England, and are to 

 visit provincial towns, that these festivities could be 

 mainly dispensed with. For it must be admitted, 

 that they do not form a good preparation for scien- 

 tific investigation or for preserving a recollection of 



