CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 213 
whole of this address, being of such very great importanca at tie present 
time. It is difficult, however, to treat of it in relation to the well-being of 
our Nation, in furtherance of which the members of our Corresponding 
Societies could exert by their concerted action a most valuable pressure, 
without trenching upon the forbidden sphere of party politics. The question of 
tariffs against so-called ‘free trade,’ surely a false term for allowing other 
nations to put a prohibitive duty on the import of our manufactures while 
we let them dump their surplus products into our country free, ought to have 
no connection with politics. Had it been considered in the past a purely 
economic question we should not have been in our present unfortunate position 
of dependence upon other countries for nearly all the necessities of life. 
Britain, once a great producing country, then became a manufacturing one, 
importing raw material and exporting the finished products, but latterly has 
been degenerating into a mere commercial country, importing finished articles 
to the detriment of the products of our soil and of the output of our fac- 
tories. This has brought us to our present critical state. Not only have 
we encouraged the importation of goods we can well make ourselves, and of 
food we can now in part produce, and shall in future have to produce to a 
much greater extent, and so keep our workers, whether out-door or in-door, 
busy, but we have freely exported our very life-blood, that which (with iron) 
made England a manufacturing country, our coal, the exhaustion of which would 
reduce us to abject dependence upon the resources and good-will of countries 
beyond our seas. Germany has been fighting us with coal from South Wales for 
the motive power of her ships and with toluol from our gasworks for her 
most explosive munitions, having imported from us vast quantities of both 
during many years. Should there be no other result of the present war than 
to bring about a radical change in our fiscal system, the loss of men and 
money which it has occasioned would be greatly compensated. I repeat that 
this ought not to be a question for politicians, and there are signs that soon it 
will not be considered one. It ought to be vigorously taken up as a scientific and 
economic question by all the members of our Corresponding Societies, for all 
must have the future welfare of our country at heart. 
In Section H, ANrHRopotocy, the work of the ‘ Ethnographical Survey 
of the United Kingdom,’ a Committee of the British Association, has frequently 
been brought before the Conference, and I believe that great assistance has 
been given to it by our Corresponding Societies. The Committee is no longer 
in existence, but of lasting importance for continued vigilance is that branch 
of it entrusted with the recording of monuments and other remains of ancient 
culture. It is rather the preservation than the recording of such remains 
that is now of greatest importance, and in this most of our societies could 
help by appointing vigilance committees to report any attempts at vandalism. 
Much good has resulted from the ‘ Ancient Monuments Act,’ but it does not 
go far enough, being permissive only, not compulsory. At present the most 
pressing need of protection seems to be that of Kent’s Cavern, near Torquay, 
in the exploration of which Mr. William Pengelly spent the best years of his 
life, and an endeavour should be made to get it placed under the protection 
of this Act, if a prehistoric cave can be considered a monument, or under 
the National Trust.* I visited it last autumn and found that the custodian had 
relics for sale. 
To treat adequately of Section L, Epucarionan Science, would require 
several addresses. It embraces the teaching of the various subjects already 
discussed and many others. As to the vexed question of a classical against 
a scientific education, I would give almost equal weight to each, but let the 
balance preponderate towards science. I doubt if there is a single naturalist 
amongst. us who would consider a little knowledge of Latin and Greek 
unnecessary. We ought to know sufficient of Greek to devise from it, for 
instance, a name for a new genus, and when we see a name derived from the 
Greek to be able to ascertain its meaning; we must know sufficient of Latin 
to give a suitable name to a new species and to be sure that we give it a correct 
* Resolutions to this effect should be passed by all our Corresponding 
Societies, and made widely known. 
