GOVERNMENT AID TO SCIENCE. 87 



Tyndall, Frankland, Williamson, Stokes, Fleming, 

 Jenkins, Hirst, and Huxley, Messrs. Grlaisher and 

 Huggins, and Drs. Stenhouse, Balfour Stewart, and 

 Mann was appointed to consider and report upon the 

 subject. Science has now reached a peculiar stage in 

 that long and remarkable career of progress which was 

 inaugurated towards the close of the sixteenth century. 

 Hitherto those who have been able and willing to take 

 part in scientific researches have had the means of 

 doing so without incurring great expense, and many 

 have even found it possible to do good and useful 

 service in the cause of science while prosecuting, at the 

 same time, the labours of their profession or trade. 

 But now the case is very different. A man who would 

 assist in forwarding the progress of science must give 

 his whole energies to the cause ; he must be prepared 

 to incur large expenses ; and all this he must do with- 

 out the hope that science will make him any pecuniary 

 return. Theoretically, indeed, it may be argued that 

 he will labour best who hopes for no return for his 

 labours ; who works, not for profit, but from pure 

 love of science, and so on. But as a matter of fact, 

 many of those who would serve science best, and 

 hundreds of those who could do yeoman's service in her 

 cause, are simply debarred from scientific pursuits by 

 the necessity of earning the means of subsistence. 

 And there are crowds of others who, though they may 

 be independent in means, are yet unable to provide 

 themselves with the expensive instruments by which 

 alone any useful work can now be done. For, as 



