Meeting of the British Association, 217 



they have specially studied — may sometimes be unable to do more 

 than trace the leading principle and general s ope of the papers. 

 However, without any special mathematical knowledge, a well in- 

 formed man may, often in the results announced, and I may add 

 from the observations elicited, obtain very interesting glimpses of 

 the nature of mathematical processes and some general idea as to 

 the progress making in that direction. In applied mathematics 

 there is much more of general interest, and the results are often 

 perfectly intelligible without special education. I recollect that 

 at the meeting of the British Association at Oxford, the general 

 results of a very abstruse investigation in applied mathematics in 

 physical astronomy were made very interesting. The subject was 

 so brought forward as to rivet the attention of the whole section, 

 and there were many ladies present. The paper was given in by 

 M. Leverrier, and the subject was the identification of a comet. 

 Discoveries in electricity, light, heat, and magnetism, cannot fail 

 to be of great general interest. To the human mind nothing is 

 so fascinating as progress. It is not what we have long had that 

 we most prize. We highly prize new accessions, but we enjoy 

 almost unconsciously gifts of far more value, we have long been 

 in possession of. This is our nature ; thus we are constituted. 

 It is not surprising, therefore, that we should have a peculiar relish 

 for new discoveries. (Applause.) The interest of discovery, 

 however, is not permanent. For a time we are dazzled by its bril- 

 liancy, but gradually the impression fades away, and at last is lost 

 entirely in the splendour of some fresh discovery which carries 

 with it the charm of novelty. When we reflect upon this we 

 cannot help perceiving in how very different a state the world 

 would be from what it is if mankind in the beginning had been 

 in the possession of all the knowledge we now have, and there had 

 been no progress ever since. We naturally ask why were all those 

 objects which have been laid before us so hidden — veiled — only to 

 be brought to light by the vigorous use of our faculties ? How 

 wonderful from its origin has been the progress of mathematical 

 science. Beginning perhaps 3000 years ago almost from nothing 

 — one simple relation from magnitude suggesting another, and 

 those relations gradually becoming more complicated, more inter- 

 esting, I may add more important, till at length in our day it 

 has expanded into a Science which enables us to weigh the plan- 

 ets, and more wonderful still, to calculate the course they will 



