A nswers continued, 1 7 / 



essentially new experiments or new discoveries of 

 importance would be made. No attempts would be 

 made to discover essentially novel facts, nor would 

 many trials be made to test fundamental abstract 

 questions which affect the very basis of scientific 

 knowledge. The principles of electro-magnetism, of 

 magneto-electric action, and of the magnetic rotation 

 of polarized light, were each discovered by means of 

 perfectly novel experiments, in which immediate 

 utility was not the motive. 



It is worthy of notice that of the very small propor- 

 tion of scientific investigators who disapprove of 

 State aid to Research, nearly every one already pos- 

 sesses sufficient pecuniary means to carry on investi- 

 gations, and therefore cannot adequately appreciate 

 the position and necessities of investigators having 

 only small incomes. In some cases also the objections 

 to aid investigators come from scientific men who have 

 attempted to make discoveries but have not 

 succeeded. 



Dr. Robinson of Armagh, a well-known investigator, 

 has very properly pointed out * what has been done 

 in this country towards giving assistance to those en- 

 gaged in the pursuit of science, and mentions the 

 Observatories maintained by the Universities and by 

 the Nation. He says also that if anything more were 

 to be done in increasing the amount of grants of 

 money to assist scientific work, he thinks " it might 

 be best applied in establishing in the great commercial 



* "English Mechanic," August i7th, 1881, p. 83. 



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