192 THE STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. [vm. 



steadily at the immense importance of Natural History 

 of the knowledge of the " face of the earth." I 

 believe that all will one day feel, more or less, that to 

 know the earth on which we live, and the laws of it by 

 which we live, is a sacred duty to ourselves, to our 

 children after us, and to all whom we may have to 

 command and to influence ; ay, and a duty to God 

 likewise. For is it not a duty of common reverence 

 and faith towards Him, if He has put us into a beautiful 

 and wonderful place, and given us faculties by which 

 we can see, and enjoy, and use that place is it not a 

 duty of reverence and faith towards Him to use these 

 faculties, and to learn the lessons which He has laid 

 open for us ? If you feel that, as I think you all will 

 some day feel, then you will surely feel likewise that it 

 will be a good deed I do not say a necessary duty, but 

 still a good deed and praiseworthy to help physical 

 science forward ; and to add your contributions, how- 

 ever small, to our general knowledge of the earth. And 

 how much may be done for science by British officers, 

 especially on foreign stations, I need not point out. I 

 know that much has been done, chivalrously and well, 

 by officers ; and that men of science owe them and 

 give them hearty thanks for their labours. But I should 

 like, I confess, to see more done still. I should like to 

 see every foreign station what one or two highly- 

 educated officers might easily make it, an advanced post 

 of physical science, in regular communication with our 

 scientific societies at home, sending to them accurate 

 and methodic details of the natural history of each 

 district details -^nrtlis of which might seem worthless 

 in the eyes of the public, but which would all be 

 precious in the eyes of scientific men, who know tha j 



