. Scientific Lectures. 169 



SCIENTIFIC LECTURE-XU. 



ON MODERN ENGINEERING. 



By the Hon. Wm. J. McAlpine. 



The twelfth and concludinor scientific lecture before the American 

 Institute was delivered on Wednesday evening, Feb. 10, 1869, at 

 Steinway Hall, by Prof. Willam J. McAlpine. Upon the platform 

 were seated Horace Greeley, Admiral Farragut, Gen. Galium, Super- 

 intendent of Military Academy, "West Point ; Gen. H. G. Wright, 

 commanding Sixth Army Corps; Gen. Tower, Engineer Corps; 

 Gen, Q. A. Gillmore, capturer of Fort Pulaski, Wagner, &c. ; Hora- 

 tio Allen, Civil Engineer, Novelty Works ; Prof. Hosford, of Cam- 

 bridge, Massachusetts, and Prof, Tillman of New York, 



Horace Greeley, the President of the American Institute, made 

 the following introductory remarks : 



Ladies and Gentlemen : The American Institute, disappointed 

 in being unable in the year lately closed to give such an exhibition 

 of the products of American industry as it deemed fit or worthy of 

 its own reputation and high character, postponed that exhibition to 

 the year on which we have now entered ; and, instead of it, resolved 

 to give a course of scientific lectures of the very highest import and 

 value within the power of American genius and culture to aiford. It 

 is a very common, but I think a very undeserved reproach, that New 

 York is so intent on money making, or on pleasure, that it has no 

 time, no thought, and no means to give to the advancement of science. 

 On the contrary, I believe that if a project were to-day fairly presented 

 to the rieli men, and the public spirited men (who are not always the 

 rich men) of New York, and if such a plan were to seem to them 

 feasible and judicious, a million dollars would be freely bestowed, if 

 necessary, for the achievement of the purpose therein indicated. The 

 Institute resolved to test, so far as it might, the justice of the reproach 

 commonly made that this city is given up wholly to trade and money 

 getting, and would give no thought to any more elevated or abstract 



