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purposes of utility of the utmost importance to the well-being of 

 the human race may follow in their train. It must be admitted 

 that a great demand is made upon our forbearance by those who 

 would depreciate scientific researches by the constant repetition 

 of this senseless cry of " Cui bono." Well might one of our most 

 distinguished philosophers, the worthy son of a renowned father, 

 affirm, that he could not listen to it without a sense of humiliation. 

 It is indeed incredible that so many men should be found to indulge 

 in it in the present age, after the many astounding proofs which the 

 history of the progress of knowledge affords, that had such sentiments 

 prevailed in bygone times, human progress would have been almost 

 arrested, and a very large proportion of the comforts and luxuries 

 which we now enjoy would have been lost to mankind. 



I have thus instanced one useful end which may be attained by 

 a more extended intercourse between scientific men in different 

 countries ; I will now mention another. In the progress of the late 

 investigations into the means of improving the relations between Sci- 

 ence and the Government, it has occurred to me that if some confer- 

 ence could take place between representatives of the leading Scientific 

 Societies of Europe and America, important information might be 

 collected as to the general bearings of this question, by comparing 

 the mode of dealing with it in different countries possessing admini- 

 strative systems variously organized. There are many questions 

 again of great importance to the progress of Science, as e. g. a liberal 

 extension of our system of book-postage, which might be much 

 advanced by prevailing on influential societies in different countries 

 to urge their favourable consideration on their respective Governments; 

 and it is really necessary that our energies should be directed to pro- 

 moting the general diffusion of the scientific publications of all coun- 

 tries by every means in our power, in order that the evil may be arrested 

 from which Science has already suffered so much; I mean the devotion 

 of time and of talents of the most transcendent order in one country to 

 the performance of tasks which have already been satisfactorily com- 

 pleted in another. I cannot but think, therefore, that periodical 

 meetings of deputies from the principal Scientific Societies at some 

 central spot on the continent of Europe would have a tendency to 

 promote these and many other useful objects, which, if I were not 

 afraid of trespassing on your patience, I might perhaps point out ; 



