SECRETARY'S REPORT. 29 



public-spirited example was followed some years later, by tlie 

 Emperors both of Russia and Austria. Nor was the late unfor- 

 tunate King Louis Philippe of France far behind them, for he 

 made repeated purchases of Whitaker, of Burley, and of the 

 noted herd at Leyfields, and of Lord Spencer , at Wiseton, and 

 elsewhere, for the purpose of securing a change, and the best 

 strains of blood for the perfection of the royal herd. His 

 example was followed by his successor, the present Emperor of 

 France, who has not only hired bnlls at great expense of the 

 magnificent herd of Mr. Booth, of Warlaby, but bought thirty 

 cows, a few years ago, at a hundred guineas, or more than five 

 hundred dollars apiece. From the imperial herd, and from 

 other sources, the finest bred males have been distributed in 

 very many of the departments of France. 



With the same design, that of introducing improvements into 

 the stock of the country, the King of Sardinia has been, at 

 different times, a pretty extensive purchaser of this remarkable 

 breed, and so has the King of Holland, whose agents traversed 

 Yorkshire to select the best to be li^d, cost what they would. 

 Spain also has done the same with the design of putting better 

 points upon her Andalusian cattle, and last year Sweden was in 

 the market, in most spirited competition for the best of the 

 English strains, to improve her stock. 



Scientific men have long been aware of the immense advan- 

 tage which science derives from the magnificently liberal and 

 prompt endowment of institutions designed to promote it, on 

 the part of absolute rulers whose will is law. Witness the 

 splendidly endowed observatory at Pulkova, in Russia, one of 

 the most celebrated in Europe, and many others that might be 

 mentioned, vastly better equipped for scientific investigations 

 than those of our own country. Why is this ? Simply because 

 one capable, intelligent mind, devoted to the interests of a great 

 empire, can more easily be led to understand the great impor- 

 tance of scientific and other investigations designed for the 

 public good, and so to make prompt and princely appropriations 

 for them, than a large body of men, like that in our popular 

 form of government, where, if some are far-seeing enough to 

 comprehend the importance of such establishments, many of the 

 others are not, and so there is delay and opposition, and often 

 the loss of appropriations to support them. Witness the treat- 



