16 Proceedings of the Roijcd Physical Society. 



The appreciation and hearty acceptance of the far-reaching- 

 truth in these words will do far more for us, as students of 

 nature, than all the imagination which has recently come to 

 be so much set by as a guide and as an instrument in science. 

 The Damian incident might be a warning ! Imagination took 

 the alchemists to the sun and the moon for the origin of gold 

 and silver — 



" Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe;" 



But it signally failed them, — when they sought for these pre- 

 cious metals on the earth ! 



And now, gentlemen, let me thank you very cordially for 

 having twice done me the honour of electing me to preside 

 over you. I have greatly valued your kindness and indul- 

 gence. Without naming the able and accomplished men who 

 are still with us doing yeoman work, and work that will last, 

 in their several departments of science, I feel it a high honour 

 to have had my name associated as President of the Koyal 

 Physical Society with those of Captain Thomas Brown, 

 Edward Forbes, Ptobert Kaye Greville, James Y. Simpson, 

 John Coldstream, George Wilson, John Goodsir, Hugh Miller, 

 Sir John Grahame Dalyell, John Fleming, Thomas Strethill 

 Wright, and others, who in their day rendered signal service to 

 our pursuits. These all have left us a noble example of pains- 

 taking, persistent, earnest work — work done in the Kne of true 

 method. And most of them, as I can affirm from personal 

 knowledge — I speak only of those I knew — held that science 

 is not limited to the discovery of the natural relations of 

 phenomena merely, but that it is no more than her duteous 

 service to set facts in divine relations as well. Their well- 

 known views find fitting expression in the suggestive words 

 of one of the greatest of recent naturalists: "I shall not be 

 prevented," says Agassiz, " by the pretensions of a false philo- 

 sophy, from expressing my conviction that any manifestation 

 of thoughts is to be considered as evidence of the existence 

 of a thinking being as the author of thought, and an intelli- 

 gent and intelligible connection between the facts of nature 

 must be looked upon as a direct proof of the existence of a 

 thinking God, as certainly as man exhibits the power of 

 thinking when he recognises their natural relations." 



