IMPORTANCE OF ILLUSTRATIVE WORKS. 403 



societies expressly formed for the advancement and 

 protection of science, — by the nobility and the 

 wealthy of the land, who feel a laudable pride in the 

 richness and excellence of their libraries, — and by 

 men of science, who are themselves interested in 

 the success of their favourite pursuits. But,if 

 these sources of patronage are ineffectual, it is 

 clearly incumbent upon a liberal government, zealous 

 for increasing the facilities of knowledge, to stretch 

 forth a protecting hand, and either directly to take 

 upon themselves the cost (with proper limitations) 

 of publishing such works as, upon mature consider- 

 ation, may be deemed worthy of national aid, or 

 indirectly, by other means, give to those authors 

 who will take the risk upon themselves certain pri- 

 vileges or immunities, proportionate to the hazards 

 they incur. All this will doubtless appear prepos- 

 terous to those who think that science is to be 

 advanced by the cheap compilations of the penny 

 press, which, we feel almost ashamed to say, are now 

 the only books upon natural history which suffice to 

 please the " great taste" so much talked of as ex- 

 isting in the public at large : but the opinions 

 of such persons can never controvert the well-known 

 fact, that the governments of other nations make 

 especial provisions for assisting in the publication 

 of expensive works, which, without such aid, would 

 never see the light. France, who seems deter- 

 mined to take the pre-eminence in all questions of 

 national science, annually appropriates no less a sum 

 than ten thousand pounds to the costs of public- 

 ation and subscription to scientific works, nearly 

 the whole of which relate to different depart- 

 dd 2 



