Anniversary Address. 7 



heads of our scientific departments, and that h, Tjy enforcing 

 from time to time their applications for pecuniary aid upon 

 the Government and the Parliament, 



I miglit_, from the peculiarity of my public position, hesitate 

 to refer more specifically to such a matter, had I not the 

 liigh example of Prince Albert, who pointed this out to the 

 British Association at Aberdeen, as one of the functions it 

 was eminently fitted to discharge. 



I entirely concur with His Royal Highness in thinking 

 that it is well for ever}'^ country to possess a body capable of 

 justly appreciating the wants of science, and of speaking with 

 authority whenever the national interests demand the expen- 

 diture of public money for scientific purposes. 



I am aware that this Society has, on some particular 

 occasions, done so, but I think it miglit safely carry the 

 principle further ; and when it is clear, for example, that the 

 printing of the maps of the Geological Survey is delayed for 

 want of funds : that the collection of minerals and fossils 

 made to illustrate it lie useless, because neither space nor 

 money is provided for their proper classification : that two or 

 three hundred pounds would suffice for the publication of 

 Meteorological and Astronomical Observations of the highest 

 value made at the Flagstaff-hill Observatory : I hold it to be 

 the duty of this Society to call public attention to the fact, 

 and not to leave the officers concerned to supplicate for the 

 requisite funds as if they had some private or personal in- 

 terest to serve in obtaining them. 



I am confident that if such desiderata were fairly made 

 known on competent authority, there would 1)e no disinclina- 

 tion on the part of the jNIinistry to propose the vote necessary 

 for their immediate attainment ; and no one looking at the 

 annual Estimates, and seeing the scale on which many of our 

 scientific establishments are provided for, can accuse the 

 Legislatiu'c of a niggardly disposition iu such matters. Were 



