THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 109. 
the valuable aid rendered by Dr. Hurlburt in the department of. 
forest products. 
Magnificent as was the scene presented at the concursus of nations 
in this temple of Industry and Art, there was that which dimmed, 
its brightness—from the full enjoyment there was a drawback, in the 
absence of him, 
“The silent father of our kings to be, 
Mourn’d in that golden hour of jubilee,” 
to whom was due the honor of having first conceived. and carried. 
out the glorious idea of collecting in one spot the natural and 
artificial productions of the nations of the earth, as the means of 
mutual improvement, as an index of the progress of human civilization, 
and as a standard of the advancement of Industry and Art. In the 
inscrutable wisdom of the Almighty, the Prince Consort was remoyed. 
before he saw the second triumph of the noble project which he had 
originated, but though absent, he was present in the memory of the 
hundreds of thousands of visitors, who deplored the loss of one who 
had right royally discharged his duty towards his adopted country, and 
whose name will long be held in fond remembrance throughout every 
part of the British dominions, as “ Albert the Good.” And now 
having taken a hasty and imperfect glance at the principal points of 
interest in the progress of Science, Industry, and Art, during the 
past year, permit me briefly to enquire what we have been doing 
ourselyes—what has been the work of the Institute during 1862. On 
reference to our Journal—for in estimating the work of our members, 
I consider only the communications which have been published—I find 
that in the six numbers for the past year, there are nineteen original 
papers, exclusive of Reviews and Scientific and Literary notes. 
Although such a result of a year’s work may be regarded by some as 
much less than what ought to be expected, when the large number 
of members of the Institute is taken into account, I cannot but think 
that reflection will prove that this view of it should not be entertained. 
In the first place, the character of the articles suitable for publication 
in a Journal, which has already attained distinction amongst Scientific 
and Literary periodicals, is such that there must necessarily be but 
few capable of writing them. The chief object of our Journal is the 
advancement of human knowledge by the publication of original 
matter, comprehending new facts, or hypotheses, or deductions, cor- 
rections of errors, and such communications as define or extend the 
limits of what is known. Now in communities much older and 
more numerous, and more favourably circumstanced than ours, there 
