(542 REPORT — 1894. 



Mineralogy, ns a brancli of Natural Pliilosophy, has been looked upon in England. 

 Indeed, tins feeling appears to have gone sa far that all the general questions of 

 the science excite with us scnrcely any notice whatever. But a more forvrard 

 and hopeful spirit appears to have prevailed for some time in other countries, 

 especially Sweden, Germany, and more recently France.' Those are the words 

 of despair of the future of i3iitish Mineralogy. I may add that in the same year 

 he resigned his professorship of Mineralogy, and directed his vast energy to the 

 advancement of other subjects; many of you will remember that he afterwards 

 became Professor of MorarPbilosophy and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. 



Now, 1 tliink that a country like our own, which aims at taking and maintain- 

 ing a high place in the scale of civilisation, ought in some way or other to secure 

 that in every important branch of learning there is a group of men in the country 

 •who will make it the main purpose of their lives to render themselves familiar 

 ■with all that has been and is being discovered in the subject, will do whatever is 

 possible to fill up the gaps in the science, and, last but not least, will make the 

 more important results accessible to other workers for whom so complete and 

 original a survey is impracticable. 



No one will doubt that Mineralogy should be such an important branch of learning. 

 Minerals existed before man was thrust upon the scene ; they will possibly con- 

 tinue to exist long after he himself has passed awaj': at least as persistent as 

 himself, they will have an interest for every age. 



The Continental nations have not only long recognised the importance of 

 raineralogical study, but have acted accordingly. The difference between action 

 and inaction will be most clearly grasped if we compare the position of Mineralogy 

 in Germany with that in this country. 



In Freiberg, the centre of a mining district in Saxony, an institute was opened 

 in the year 17(J6 for the scientific training of those students whose interest was in 

 minerals, and the lectures on Mineralogy given there by Professor Werner became 

 a prominent feature ; of the many pupils of this remarkable man, Breithaupt, 

 Von Buch, Haidinger, Humboldt, Mohs, Naumann, and AVeiss may be especially 

 mentioned as having afterwards distinguished themselves by their scientific work. 

 Of other Germans, who have likewise gone to their rest after much labour given 

 to the advancement of Mineralogy and Crystallography, men wliose names will 

 long be household words for mineralogists, we may especially recall Beer, Bischof, 

 Blum, Credner, Hessel, Klaproth, Kobell, Lasaulx, 5litscherlich, Pfatt', Plattner, 

 Plucker, Quenstedt, Vom Rath, Beusch. Gustav Rose, Heinrich Rose, Ssdebeck, 

 Scheerer, Sartorius von "Waltershausen, Websky, and WiJhler. Of the many Ger- 

 mans who are now contributing to our knowledge of minerals it is an invidious 

 task to make a selection, but we may mention Arzruni, Bauer, Beckenkamp, Biick- 

 ing, Cathrein, Cohen, Goldschmidt, Groth, Ilaushofer, Hintze, Hirschwald, Klein, 

 Klockmann, Knop, Laspeyres, Lehmann, Liebiscli, Liidecke, Miigge,. Neumann, 

 Osann, Rosenbusch, Sandberger, Streng, Voigt, Weisbach and Zirkel : most of them 

 are University Professors of Mineralogy ; all of them hold important positions as 

 teachers of the subject. Further, the laboratories and instruments available for the 

 teaching of practical work are in many cases, notably at Strassburg, Munich, Gtit- 

 tingen, and Berlin, of an elaborate character. 



So much for Germany ; let us now look at home. In the Universities of 

 England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland there is a grand total of — two Pro- 

 fessorships of Mineralogy, one of them at r'ambridge, the other, and younger one, 

 at Oxford. Further, the stipends are nearly as low as they can be made; in the 

 former case, according to the University Calendar, the stipend paid from the Uni- 

 versity Chest to tiie present holder of the olHce amounts to 300Z. a year; in the 

 more ancient but less extravagant University of Oxford, the Calendar states that 

 the present professor receives, subject to previous deduction of income-tax, the 

 annual sum of 100/., and the necessary instruments and many of the specimen.^ 

 have presumably been provided from his private resources ; in case of residence he 

 is to be allowed another 150/. a year for the luxuries which University life involves. 

 And these are the only teaching appointments in his own subject that a successful 

 investigator of minerals can look forward to being a candidate for ! The result is 



