THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA. 363 



oacli the effect of promoting' our advancement as a pcojjle, and of raising llie 

 estimate of the intellectual status of this colony in the minds of the intelligent 

 in other parts of the world. In these days no apology for scientific experiment is 

 required, for although the primary object of science is the discovery of truth, it 

 is now universally admitted that the contributions applied to the arts of life are 

 among the most valued means by "which our civilizatitm is advanced. In a new 

 country the problem of the utilization of its resources opens the widest ojiportu- 

 nities for the adaptations of science to practical requirements. An example will 

 illustrate this general assertion : let us for a moment consider our relatidu with 

 the older countries in reference to the supply and demand of the one imjjortant 

 item of animal food. "We have inexhaustible means of supply, while in Euro- 

 pean countries flesh food is becoming yearly scanier. Any im})roved method of 

 animal food preservation, assisting its transport, would be avast accessi(m to our 

 meaTis of wealth, and to this end the facts of chemistry in relation to physiology 

 ajipear as afl'ording the pro})er key. The case of food supply is l)y no means a 

 solitary instance; the same reasoning ajiplies generally to the natural resources 

 of a new and extensive country like Australia. 



In these and like considerations let us hope th.it a sufficient stimulus for our 

 best efforts will be recognized, and that our endeavors will be so far fruitful as to 

 entitle the Royal Society of Victoria to rank in due time with similar older 

 institutions in Europe and America. 



