2 1 6 Promotion of Research a cosmopolitan duty. 



to encouragement have become more generally 

 known, that aid which has hitherto been with-held from 

 it will be rendered by private generosity ; and local 

 institutions, wholly for the purpose of original 

 scientific research will be established and supported 

 by public-spirited wealthy persons. An institution of 

 this kind upon a small scale, and called " The Insti- 

 tute of Scientific Research " has already been estab- 

 lished in Birmingham, (see Note p. 40). By founding 

 local institutions of this kind there exist opportunities 

 for wealthy persons to do great good to mankind, 

 and acquire renown as philanthropists by the action. 



And 9///. In consequence of the great benefit de- 

 rived from scientific research by the inhabitants of 

 each locality, it has become a duty of each large 

 community to promote it, and local Town Councils 

 might with advantage and perfect justice to the 

 public, devote a portion of municipal funds to the 

 purpose of aiding local scientific research. To this 

 plan it may be objected, that as the results of 

 research are cosmopolitan, diffusing themselves every- 

 where, and this diffusion cannot be prevented ; the 

 benefits arising from research cannot be restricted 

 even to a large community. In reply to this : As 

 knowledge and its advantages are cosmopolitan, the 

 duty of promoting research must be equally extensive. 

 There is also a real return received by the public for 

 expenditure of money in research, in the free liberty 

 to use all new knowledge developed everywhere by 

 such labour, and although the money expended by a 



