284 BRITISH ASSOCIATION, MEETING AT EXETER. 
or, again, the work to be done, though all of one kind, may be of such 
an extent as to be beyond the power of any one man. In such cases 
the limited power of the individual can only be supplemented by the 
principle of co-operation; and, accordingly, it becomes an important 
part of the business of the Association to organize committees for the 
prosecution of special researches. The researches thus undertaken at 
the request of the Association are published at length, along with the 
reports on the progress of science, in the first part of the annual volume. 
In close connection with the last must be mentioned another mode 
in which the Association contributes to the progress of science. Many 
researches require not only time and thought, but pecuniary outlay ; 
and it would seem hard that scientific men, who give their time and 
labour gratuitously to carrying out such researches, should be further 
obliged to incur an expenditure which they often can ill afford. The 
Association, accordingly, makes grants of money to individuals or com- 
mittees for defraying the expenses of such researches. It appears from 
the Report which has just been published, that, reckoning up to the 
year 1867 inclusive, the sum of £29,312. 4s. 1d. has been voted by the 
Association for various scientific objects. Deducting from this the sum 
of £23. 16s. for the balances of grants not wholly expended, which 
were returned to the Association, we may say that £29,288. 8s. 1d. 
has been expended in the manner indicated. When we remember that 
these grants were mostly of small amount, and do not include personal 
expenses, and that very many of the researches undertaken at the re- 
quest of the Association do not involve money grants at all, we may 
form some idea of the amount of scientific activity which has been 
evoked under the auspices of the Association. 
n the address with which the business of the meeting is opened, it 
is usual for your President to give some account of the most recent 
progress of science. The task is by no means an easy one.’ Few, in- 
deed, are familiar with science in all its branches ; and even to one who 
was, the selection of topics and the mode of treating them would still 
present difficulties. I shall not attempt to give an account of the re- 
cent progress of science in general, but shall select from those branches 
with which I am more familiar some examples of recent progress which 
may, I hope, prove to be of pretty general interest. And even in this 
I feel that I shall have to crave your indulgence, for it is hard to be 
intelligible to some without being wearisome to others,...... 
