192 THE STUDY OF NATURAL HISTOEY. [vin. 



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 -^j-ths 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 that 



