220 Yorkshire Philosophical Society 



with respect to each other, as cause and effect, and each mutually 

 aids the progress of the other. I am sorry to say, that though no- 

 minall}' the President of that Society, I am, in fact, from my distant 

 residence, the most inefficient member it has. I am glad, however, 

 to know that our virtual and real President (the R°v. C. Wellbe- 

 loved) is here. I shall call upon him to give us the particulars 

 of the present state of the Institution. 1 may observe, gene- 

 rally, that I am aware that there is a divided opinion as to the 

 utility of such societies ; and that many hold a conscientious opi- 

 nion, that is adverse to them. There seems to be a fear that they 

 may induce the lower orders of society to become too cunning for 

 their rulers ; — surely society cannot be so constituted by Him who 

 called us into existence, as to become too wise for itself. Even our 

 Philosophical Society has not escaped without similar aspersions, 

 and those from very high quarters ; but I do not perceive that we 

 are getting too wise at all. I cannot but believe that the best basis 

 on which to build up the security of the British Government, is on 

 the solid information and good sense of the people, and at the same 

 time it forms the best security for the safe administration of the Go- 

 vernment. Man is a social animal; when alone he is weak and 

 helpless, but in combination becomes invincible. Almost every man 

 has some mental perfection in conjunction with many deficiencies, 

 but when called together in such a society as the Mechanics' Insti- 

 tute, for mutual instruction and assistance, the best powers of each 

 are brought to bear upon the concerns of all, and many centuries 

 of experience in their united ages are made available towards the 

 common stock. To the powers of combined effort we owe the valu- 

 able Institution we are now met to celebrate ; without it, all the ma- 

 terials for science would have been scattered unclassedand useless^ 

 so beautifully and so surprisingly however are interwoven the laws 

 of creation, that out of these individual deficiencies arise most of the 

 endearing ties of life. Had we all been perfect in our powers, and 

 each as capable as the other in every particular, we should not have 

 perceived the necessity of mutual assistance, and would never have 

 experienced all that series of friendly exertion, gratitude, and affec- 

 tion, which flow from this source. But I have already said too much 

 on this subject ; I will only occupy your attention for a few moments 

 longer, in mentioning that we have lately discovered, at the depth 

 of four feet of alluvial deposit, within the basin of the extensive an- 

 tediluvian lake which Dr. Buckland conceived to have flowed nearly 

 up to the cave at Kirkdale, a Roman sword of brass in the most 

 perfect preservation, a human jaw with the teeth perfect, and a 

 copper coin of Hadrian, all within a few feet of each other, at the 

 same depth, and resting upon the bed of gravel which seems tohave 

 formed the real bottom of this lake. I mention the circumstance, 

 because as it is the fashion now to find human bones, and works of 

 human hands, in company with antediluvian quadrupeds, (two in- 

 stances in France and one in Germany,) I wish to guard against any 

 false impression injurious to Dr. Buckland's very satisfactory theory 

 — a morass with occasional floods will account for the case. 



Sir 



