144 Natural History Society of Montreal. 



West, and, returning to our mountain ridge, call it again the 

 Royal Mount, and say that to this point must the wealth and 

 population of all this new world flow. It is not worthy of a city 

 so placed to solicit mere artificial dignities ; but it is worthy of it to 

 promote within itself all those high moral and intellectual 

 influences which should flow from it to the region around. 

 (Cheers.) Although, therefore, this Society is not for Montreal 

 alone but for Canada, and, as far as may be, for the world ; yet, 

 if it should rest for its support on this city alone, we know that, 

 with the kind blessing of the Providence that has given us this 

 goodly heritage, and with that support, cordially and liberally as 

 it is always given to every deserving institution, we may hope to 

 take a high place among the learned Societies of the western 

 world. (Cheers.) 



Sir William Eyre, said : — It was not without some consider- 

 able hesitation, that I accepted the proffered honour of addressing 

 you on this occasion. I believe it is one of the essential requisites 

 to addressing the public, to be well acquainted with the subject 

 on which you are to speak, and in this respect I confess my 

 deficiency. However, I feel emboldened and encouraged by the 

 indulgence of a Montreal public, which has borne before the 

 garrulity of an old soldier with admirable patience. (Applause.) 

 And, although possessed of no scientific lore, I hope I have suffi- 

 cient intelligence to appreciate attainments, to which I have 

 myself no pretension, and sufficient feeling to respect and rever- 

 ence the great S a vans, who undoubtedly deserve the honour of 

 being classed among the benefactors of mankind. What preater 

 or nobler task can be assigned to genius, than that of diffusing 

 truth and enlarging the sphere of our knowledge, and this not 

 for the sake of mere amusement or the gratification of curiosity, 

 or for the sake of being esteemed a little more knowing than 

 others — objects not worthy of our ambition. But the leading 

 advantage of the cultivation of science is this, that it is impossible 

 or nearly so, to cultivate the faculties of the mind, and to enlarge 

 the understanding without, at the same time, improving * the 

 heart, so as to make us better men, better husbands, better fathers, 

 better neighbours, and better citizens, because we thereby get 

 something interesting to think, and to talk about, instead of 

 talking of and against each other. (Applause.) Those who 

 have turned their attention to such subjects, know the pleasure- 

 able emotions which spring up within us, as we advance in true 



