No. 2.] BRITISH ASSOCIATION MEETING. 153 



an almost imperceptible germ, through a long series of clianges 

 of form and structure into their perfect state, the name of develop- 

 ment is rather sucirestive of that which seems to be the common 



CO 



history of all living beings ; and it is not wonderful therefore 

 that such a one should regard with approval the more extended 

 view which supposes a process of development to belong to the 

 whole of nature. How far that principle may be carried, to what 

 point the origin of man or any animal can by history, facts or 

 reasoning be traced in the long unchronicled history of the world, 

 and whether living beings may arise independently of parents or 

 germs of previously existing organisms, or may spring from the 

 direct combination of the elements of dead matter, are questions 

 upon which we may expect this section may endeavour to guide 

 the hesitating opinion of the time. I cannot better express the 

 state of opinion in which I find myself than by quoting the words 

 of Professor Huxley from his address of last year, p. Ixxxiii. : — 

 " But though I cannot express this conviction of mine too 

 strongly (viz., the occurrence of abiogenesis), I must carefully 

 guard myself against the supposition that I intend to suggest 

 that no such thing as abiogenesis ever has taken place in the past, 

 or ever will take place in the future. With organic chemistry, 

 molecular physics, and physiology yet in their infancy, and every 

 day making prodigious strides, I think it would be the height of 

 presumption for any man to say that the conditions under which 

 "matter assumes the properties we call 'vital,' may not some day 

 be artificially brought together. And again, if it were given me 

 to look beyond the abyss of geologically recorded time, to the 

 still more remote period when the earth was passing through 

 physical and chemical conditions, which it can no more see again 

 than a man can recall his infancy, I should expect to be a witness 

 of the evolution of living protoplasm from living matter." I will 

 quote further a few wise words from the discourse to which many 

 of you must have listened last evening with admiration. Sir 

 Wm. Thomson said — " The essence of science, as is well illustrat- 

 ed by astronomy and cosmical physics, consists in inferring ante- 

 cedent conditions, and anticipating future evolutions, from pheno- 

 mena which have actually come under observation. In biology, 

 the difficulty of successfully acting up to this ideal are prodigious. 

 Our code of biological law is an expression of our ignorance as 

 as well as of our knowledge. Search for spontaneous generation 

 out of inorganic materials; let any one not satisfied with the 



