18 



serving to demonstrate the confidence that is placed in a scheme 

 purely directed towards useful objects, and as proving the liberality, 

 public spirit, and disposition to make sacrifices, belonging to so 

 nianj individuals in the Body. 



In giving up their private interests for the purpose of founding 

 \vhat may be called a National Establishment, the Proprietors of the 

 Royal Institution have a right to expect the support and encourage- 

 ment of their countrymen : and though they will be promoting a 

 general benefit ; yet they may perhaps make a peculiar appeal to 

 some of the most distinguished classes of society. 



To the great Landed Proprietors of the country, such an Insti- 

 tution cannot fail of bemg highly useful, even as far as their mere 

 common interests are concerned. It often happens, that specimens 

 of ores, of stones, or of substances supposed to indicate coal, are 

 found, and the consideration of these matters is usually submitted to 

 adventurers, with whom it is a great object to carry on works of 

 research, and to make (using popular langtiage) a job of a pretended 

 discovery. Those persons who may belong to this Body, will not be 

 liable to such impositions. Whatever specimens they may send, will 

 be carefully examined and reported upon. It will be stated w^hether 

 they are valuable, and whether research is likely to be efficacious or 

 fruitless. 



It would be easy to bring forw^ard various instances in which, 

 from a want of accurate information, much expense has been incur- 

 red ; but I shall rather state cases in which our Laboratory was of use 

 in preventing fruitless labour, and vain expenditure. 



A gentleman in the south of England, in consequence of the 

 discovery of a small quantity of coaly matter upon his estate, had 

 been induced to open a mine. A specimen of it was brought here ; 

 it proved to be mere wood coal without bitumen, and it required no 

 extraordinary sagacity to decide, that such a production, was no 

 indication of a stratum of pit coal. 



Another gentleman had been informed, that a particular clay on 

 his estate, contained a considerable quantity of alkali. He had been 

 at some expense on the subject, and was advised by the pretended 

 discoverer, to erect works for extracting this alkali. He sent a 

 specimen to the Institution ; it contained no alkali, and the 

 adventurer and his scheme vanished. 



I might multiply these instances ; but I trust there will be no 

 occasion, the absolutely tangible and practical uses of this part of 

 the plan must be instantly perceived. Here there can be no 

 instigation for delusion : the simple truth will be stated by men 

 whose character as w^ell as motives will secure them from any 

 suspicion of inaccuracy ; and if a general system of this kind is 

 pursued, much error and disappointment, and even dishonesty, will 

 be prevented. The spirit of enterprise will be neither pushed on by 

 false hopes, nor checked by unexpected disappointments ; and 



