282 Proceedings of the British Association. 



large excess of income above our necessary expenditure, which may be 

 devoted to the promotion of scientific researches and scientific objects, 

 is essential to the successful working of the business of the Associa- 

 tion, and that our movements should therefore be always directed to 

 those places, where our coffers are most likely to be filled. It may 

 be quite true, that the objects of the Association are most certainly 

 and effectually promoted by going to those places which are likely to 

 attract the largest concourse of scientific visitors, and that our fi- 

 nances thus become immediately dependent upon our general prosperi- 

 ty : but if, under any circumstances, these two principles of selection 

 should ever come into collision with each other, there can be no 

 doubt to which of them our preference should be given ; and though 

 I think we should very imperfectly accomplish the design of our in- 

 stitution, if our tour of visits did not comprehend, in their turn, 

 every important district in the three kingdoms, yet it would be not 

 only unadvisable, but dangerous even to our very existence, if we 

 fixed our standard in any locality which did not present a reasonable 

 prospect of procuring the requisite scientific supplies, and of not 

 sustaining the union, as well as vigorous action of the body to which 

 we belong. 



There are some great principles which have generally governed 

 the Committee of Recommendations, in recommending, and the Ge- 

 neral Committee in confirming grants of money for scientific objects, 

 which I hope we shall never lose sight of : that no part of our funds 

 should ever be applied to defray the personal expenses, or to com- 

 pensate the loss of time or labour of any of our members, in making 

 researches or experiments, even when they are undertaken or made 

 at the request of the Association : that they should not be granted 

 for the general promotion of this or that branch of science, but for 

 specific and well-defined objects : that in no case should they be 

 applied to make a bookselling or other speculation remunerative, 

 which would otherwise not be so : that the results of inquiries which 

 are carried on, partly or wholly at our charge, should so far belong 

 to the Association, as to secure its just claim to the scientific credit, 

 which they are calculated to confer. I know that some of these 

 principles have been, in some instances, partially departed from, 

 under very pressing and peculiar circumstances ; but the remem- 

 brance of the discussions to which some claims of this nature have 



