THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 267 



suggestions may be claimed by some other investi- 

 gator. Then with regard to the removal of any 

 disadvantages of a public kind which impede the 

 progress of science. — Here I apprehend we touch 

 on a most important topic, which the short lived 

 existence of the Association has hitherto only en- 

 abled them to develope their infantine efforts, though 

 even those have been beneficial to science, but with 

 the vigour of their youth, and in the maturity of 

 their manhood, I anticipate that the efforts will be 

 commensurately powerful and efficacious. But 

 before I enter on the consideration of their influence 

 on our Government, our universities, and our learned 

 institutions ; I must advert to the beneficial influence 

 already experienced in the appropriation of their 

 funds. 



In the last year, the sum of £860., and in the 

 present, £1,700., have been voted to various com- 

 mittees and individuals, for the investigation of a 

 variety of scientific subjects, which cannot be carried 

 on without pecuniary disbursement, and that few in- 

 dividuals are enabled to defray out of their private 

 funds, and which it is but fair the public should pay 

 for. And in this appropriation our neighbourhood 

 has not been overlooked, for in the last y^ar, £20. 

 was voted to the late Mr. Harvey, to be by him dis- 

 tributed in defraying certain expenses incurred in the 

 execution of thermometrical observations at Ply- 

 mouth ; and, in this year, the sum of £50. has been 

 placed at the disposal of Mr. Snow Harris, for those 

 registrations which have been carried on, under his 

 direction, at the Plymouth Dock-yard, for the last 

 three years, and have enabled him to produce to the 

 British Association such a series of meteorological 

 observations as have never before been seen ; and, it 

 will be remembered, those grants are the only ones 

 that have been applied for from the West of England. 

 What a new impulse, therefore, is given to every sci- 

 entific enquirer, in the pursuit of his investigations ; 

 ill vain would he have sought pecuniary assistance 



VOL. VI. — 1835. II 



