develop itself for more than half-a-century so as still to be more 

 prosperous than ever without consenting to modifications in its 

 conduct as experience has suggested their need ; and though the 

 tendency of those modifications has been, and still continues to 

 be, to divert the means at its disposal from the direction of popular 

 teaching to the encouragement of original literary and scientific 

 inquiries, I may safely affirm that nothing has ever occurred to 

 lead us to regret that our conditions of membership remain such 

 as to enlist the widest possible sympathy in behalf of the Society. 



Again, just as inducements rather than impediments to mem- 

 bership have been put forward by the Society, so it has been 

 careful not to hedge in by definition, the sources of knowledge 

 from which it hopes to derive its usefulness. The Institution 

 owes its origin and growth to voluntary support, and the rule has 

 been to welcome help and countenance from whatever quarter 

 they come. Without touching upon details, I may aver that it 

 was in no other way than this, that it has become the proprietor 

 of a spacious freehold premises in which not only is contained 

 this library or reception-room in which there is ample accommo- 

 dation for our members and guests on occasions like the present 

 and on those of our evening conversazioni, an amphitheatre for 

 lectures with laboratory attached, but a Museum, which, if not a 

 British Museum in miniature, is almost as heterogeneous in its 

 contents, — not only displaying a valuable collection of objects 

 illustrative of the diverse characteristics of the county, but a 

 multitude of others gathered from beyond its borders, many of 

 which have been fondly contributed by Cornishmen (a race prone 

 to adventure) whose pursuits have taken them into remote lands. 



Eeverting to our community itself, it is, in my estimation, not 

 the least of the agr^ments of this Institution that it has become a 

 sufficiently attractive centre to have drawn into more or less 

 intimate relation to it nearly all persons dwelling hereabouts who 

 are moved by a lively taste for literary or scientific research of 

 any kind, and has procured a mutual acquaintance and fellow- 

 feeling amongst them, Avhich, in many instances, would not other- 

 wise have obtained ; a result which in a province so distant from 

 Metropolitan Institutions must be a gain to all such residents, as 

 well as beneficial to our own Institution. For though the thoughts 

 of some of these individuals (a word used advisedly to imply both 

 sexes) may be mainly engaged uj)on subjects that would be more 

 appropriately brought under the notice of some central society 

 than under ours, or published in some special journal, yet minds 

 of such inquisitive activity could not fail to be interested in the 

 work done or attempted by this Society ; since, notwithstanding 

 that the scope of such work (as has already been stated) has been 



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