of country we possess, in whicli it may fairly be expected that valuable 

 minerals will be found. 



I must not conclude this brief sketch of the proceedings of the past 

 year, withovit di'awing attention to the anniversary addresses delivei'ed 

 to the Affiliated Societies, by Mr. Crawford, at Wellington ; by Mr. 

 Gillies, at Auckland ; by Mr. Justice Ward, at Otago ; and by Dr. 

 Haast, at Canterbury. 



I will now pi'oceed to the examination of a question of tlie highest 

 practical importance to the future progress of this community, — I mean 

 the assistance which this Institute can furnish towards the supply of 

 technical and scientific instruction. It is well known that the relation of 

 industrial education to industrial progress has for many years past 

 excited keen interest in England and throughoiit Europe. In 1868, a 

 Select Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to enqiiire 

 and report on this entire subject, and strongly recommended that ample 

 public provision should be made for Schools of Arts and Mines, and 

 generally for fiirnishing instruction in theoretical and applied science to 

 the industrial classes. As the duties of the Governor of a colony 

 possessing Parliamentary institutions are social rather than political, I 

 have made it my business to study the voluminous report of the above- 

 mentioned Committee, and many other works of aiithoiity bearing on 

 the same question ; and I shall indeed be proud and happy if the 

 information thus collected can in any way be turned to the advantage of 

 this community. 



Let us begin by stating the exact meaning to be attached to the terms 

 technical and scientific education. To quote a writer of authority : — 

 " The education which acqiiaints a man with the natural principles of 

 the art or calling which he professes is, to him, technical education. 

 The general knowledge of the fundamental principles and laws which 

 govern all material things is the result of scientific education. Thus the 

 latter would include the former ; and, were it rightly conducted, a 

 general scientific education would form the basis on which a particular 

 technical education might be afterwards raised ; and a young man who 

 had first acquired an elementary knowledge of the physical or natural 

 sciences, would find it easy to build upon this foundation, and to secure 

 a competent and increasing knowledge of the scientific conditions of his 

 particular art or trade." 



The late International Exhibitions in London and Paris have forced 

 the most eminent of the English men of science to the candid but 

 painful admission that, in virtue of the better industrial education 



