AT THE CLOSE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 19 



we separate, and I ought to congratulate myself that that duty 

 devolves upon me. It is to ask you to return your thanks to the 

 President, Sir Gabriel Stokes, not only for what he has done for 

 us this evening, but for what he has done for us for some years 

 past — for the influence which he has exercised over this Institute 

 — ^for the prestige he has conferred upon it for doing so much to 

 place the Society in the prominent position for which it was 

 originally intended. It was founded for the purpose of diffusing 

 knowledge — not of special kinds of knowledge as opposed to 

 religion, for there is no such opposition — none whatever (hear, 

 hear) ; but it is to teach the truth (that is science), and under the 

 influence of such men as Sir Gabriel Stokes, Lord Kelvin and 

 others whose names I have heard mentioned, it is impossible 

 that such an Institute should do anything but good and should 

 succeed. I have watched its growth for many years and am 

 deeply interested in it. I have seen the steady development and 

 the improvement of the Institute, and I am proud to belong to it. 

 I think it is doing most excellent work. It is diffusing chat 

 knowledge which is so much needed throughout the world 

 generally that I believe we owe many thanks to those who 

 founded it, and more thanks still to those eminent men who, like 

 the President, pi*eside over it. 



It is not necessary for me to make any further remarks on the 

 subject. It is quite sufficient that I name the man. I call upon 

 you to return a vote of thanks to Sir Gabriel Stokes — that most 

 eminent man of science — who presides over this Institute. 



Professor Hull. — I have great pleasure in seconding the 

 resolution, in which I heartily concur. I consider the Institute 

 owes a great debt of gratitude to the President, not only for his 

 presence this evening, but for the way in which he comes, year by 

 year, from Cambridge, at personal inconvenience, to preside at 

 our Ordinary and Special Meetings such as this to-night. There- 

 fore I heartily concur in the vote of thanks. 



The resolution was then put and carried. 



The President. — I must express to the members of the Institute 

 my hearty thanks for the vote that has just been passed. 1 

 confess that my labours in the cause of the Institute are hardly 

 those which a Px'esident might be expected to accomplish. In 

 excuse for that I have only to say that in the first instance I live 

 a good distance from London, and in the second place I have a 



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