26 Presidenfs Address. [Feb. 



India are either Government officials, or persons engaged in special pursuits. 

 We have, here, no men of leisure and of independent means, excepting native 

 gentlemen ; and unfortunately among these, as yet, the spirit of scientific 

 inquiiy has scarcely, if at all, manifested itself. Under these circumstances, 

 if the advancement of science were left to be effected by private organization 

 and private enterprize, as is mainly the case in England, the results would 

 be greatly smaller than they, even now, are. Those, however, to whose 

 hands the Government of England's Indian possessions have been entrusted, 

 have always to some extent understood their responsibility to the world at 

 large in this matter. Mr. Markham's exceedingly^ interesting book gives an 

 account, easy to be read, of the valuable work done by the officers of the 

 various Indian Survey establishments. It is not my purpose, nor have I leisure, 

 now to analyse or discuss the materials, which Mr. Markham thus pleasantly 

 puts before us. At present, I refer to the book as affording ample evidence 

 that the Government has always recognized the duty, under which it lies, to 

 supply the means of working the special fields of scientific inquiry presented 

 by India. Whether it has at all times set itself to perform this duty so 

 zealously as it should, may be questioned. I am afraid, at any rate, that of 

 late there has been some slackening of its earnestness. Last year, I at some 

 length endeavoured to point out that, while the Government took upon itself 

 the support of an establishment for the advancement of meteorological 

 science, the results attained, or to be looked for from it, were veiy unsatis- 

 factory, and the almost unrivalled opportunities of India in this department 

 of science were almost lost, simply for want of system and well considered 

 organization. It is notorious that little sympathy exists between Chancel- 

 lors of the Exchequer and men of science : and possibly a Financial Member 

 of Council is only an erratic form of Chancellor of Exchequer. The truth is 

 that probably all Governments of the present day require to be constantly 

 urged by a force from without, to perform the duty of promoting the ad- 

 vancement and practical application of scientific knowledge. M. Henri 

 Sainte-Claire Deville, at the beginning of last year, in a remarkable paper 

 laid before the Academy of Sciences pointed out that this was the case even 

 in France, where there is a paid scientific organization. I venture to think 

 that it especially lies within the province of our Society to stimulate the ac- 

 tion of the Indian Government in these respects, and to furnish it with guid- 

 ing advice. I therefore feel sure that you have learned with satisfaction, 

 from our pubHshed Proceedings, of the proposal lately made by our Council 

 to the Governor- General in Council for the undertaking of deep sea di-edging 

 in Indian waters. That proposal has been received very favourably, and I 

 sincerely trust that the Government will not delay to give effect to it. I 

 believe it is impossible to over-estimate the importance, in most branches of 

 Natural Science, of the results which may reasonably be anticipated from the 



