THE PEESIDENt's ADDRESS. 197 



like the Austro- Hungarian, has recently earned success in further 

 explorations of those parts, England, if she would retain her 

 naval supremacy, must not supinely rest upon the laurels gathered 

 for her by a long series of arctic voyagers, nor must it he ever 

 forgotten that England has not been wont to fold her hands 

 whilst other nations would press forward into new scientific 

 regions. 



Side by side with such explorations, the natural history and 

 geology of new lands are looked up. Australia has been crossed 

 in a new direction by Major Warburton, Africa traversed from 

 Tripoli to the coast of New Guinea by Dr. Gerard Eohlfs, and 

 Lieut. Cameron works on Livingstone's ground, &c. 



In archeeology the most notable event has been the discovery 

 by Mr. George Smith, of the British Museum, of an Assyrian 

 inscription, which gives an account of the genesis of the world ; 

 that is analogous though not identical with what is stated in the 

 Bible. 



In conjunction with this statement it may not be out of place 

 to pay a tribute to the memory of Mr Samuel Tregelles, a native 

 of Falmouth, who has recently died at the age of 62 years. To 

 him it was a labour of love, though demanding vast diligence, 

 and much foreign travel, to compile an edition of the New 

 Testament in Greek, in which all existing MS8. should be repre- 

 sented. This he lived long enough to accomplish with such 

 unerring discrimination that the work is, I am informed, unrivaUed 

 in its collations, notwithstanding that Tischendorf has worked on 

 the same ground. 



The latest surprise in the realms of science has arisen from 

 some experiments devised by Mr. Crookes, who has shown that 

 pith vanes and balances suspended, as nearly as may be, in 

 vacuo, are set in motion by the action of light as distinguished 

 from heat, arguing therefrom that light is a ponderable ether ; 

 — ^whether this be the true explanation or not, the phenomenon 

 was unexpected, and is causing much speculation. 



Coming back to matters in which we have a local interest, I 

 may note that an amended edition of Sir John Lubbock's 

 ''Ancient Monuments Bill" has actually been supported by a 

 majority in the House of Commons. In the primary schedule of 

 monuments attached to this recast there is no mention of Cornwall, 

 so the draught has not come under our notice : though, of 



