340 



mical laws, and bodies developed in consequence of the existence 

 of them. These laws exist, because they were established by Pro- 

 vidence ; and we may depend upon it that they were not established 

 without a purpose, and that a beneficent one. Permit me to give a 

 proof of this. The great discovery of the existence of the vegetable 

 alkaloids, commenced nearly forty years ago, belonged in its day to 

 one of the most abstruse departments of chemical analysis. There 

 are others besides myself in this room who may remember that for 

 some years afterwards the successive discovery of these bodies was 

 lightly spoken of as dificiles nugce — or laborious trifling. But a 

 diffei-ent view came to be taken of such inquiries, when it appeared 

 that all the vegetable alkaloids concentrate in themselves the poison- 

 ous and medicinal properties of the vegetables which yield them. 

 Among the truly practical and beneficent results that have ensued, 

 let me mention one great fact — namely, that with one of these alka- 

 loids, intermittent fever, one of the most common diseases of hot and 

 even of some temperate climates, may be cured with almost as great 

 certainty as we can appease hunger with bread or with meat, I shall 

 detain you by mentioning only one other illustration — the newest of 

 all. In the course of a vei'y elaborate inquiry in a far-removed 

 corner of organic chemistry, a body was discovered which is known 

 to chemists by the scientific name of terchloride of formyl. This 

 was in 1832. For many years it belonged to the dijiciles nugee ; 

 no one even saw it, except occasionally some chemist more curious 

 than his fellows in general. I venture to say that many here pre- 

 sent do not know the name, and may think it requires the alchemy 

 of Dr Anderson, and such as he, to understand it. At last, after 

 the lapse of fifteen years, this was discovered to be the powerful 

 agent which has since been more familiarly known by its oldest 

 name chloroform, one of the kindest gifts of Providence to man. Let 

 all beware, then, of speaking lightly of the elaborate and apparently 

 unproductive chemical researches of the present day. Who knows but 

 that among the curious new bodies discovered by Dr Anderson, there 

 may yet be found another gift not infei'ior to that of chloroform, or that 

 of quina ? 



I set out with observing, Dr Anderson, that it was a peculiar 

 pleasure to me to be honoured with the duty of presenting this 

 prize. It would be a great pleasure in any circumstances, but it 

 is peculiarly so when I have to convey this impartial mark of our 



