20 ON THE TRUE CLAIMS TO ATTENTION 
quantity of Fe O is exactly one-half of that obtained by other chemists, 
it seems probable that Dr. Phipson has made the ludicrous mistake of 
calculating the protoxide corresponding to the obtained peroxide as 
Fe O and not as.Fe?0?, and considered all the remainder as oxalic 
acid. 
ON THE TRUE AIMS, FOUNDATIONS AND CLAIMS TO 
ATTENTION OF THE SCIENCE OF POLITICAL 
ECONOMY. 
BY THE REY. W. HINCKS, F.L. 8. 
Read before the Canadian Institute, March 10th, 1860, 
_ The question may not unreasonably be asked how, after the numer- 
ous and excellent works published on Political Economy, it can be 
needful to enter here on discussions relating to its elementary prin- 
ciples or the grounds upon which it is entitled to attention. My 
reply is that, whatever may have been accomplished, which to many 
may appear important and satisfactory, Political Economy is still too 
new a science for its influence to have penetrated the mass of society, 
and has from various causes been exposed to so many attacks and so 
much misapprehension, that it may well be thought to demand the 
support of those who feel its value, and can hardly pretend to be 
removed from that field of controversy which may be expected occa- 
sionally to supply us with subjects, and is fairly open to all those who 
will venture themselves upon it. If I could suppose that we are all 
nearly agreed as to what are the well established truths of economi- 
cal science, and as to the kind of authority which belongs to them, 
I should not have engaged in a superfluous labour; but haying no 
doubt of the extended diffusion of opinions altogether opposed to 
those which seem to me to result from scientific inquiry, I would test 
‘the stability of the structure on which I am disposed to rely, by 
having its materials and foundations fairly examined. On this as 
upon all subjects, I seek real knowledge and hope to profit from 
cautious and candid inquiry. But it seems to me that there could 
be no useful discussion of specific questions in economical science 
without a previous consideration of the way in which its inquiries are. 
