Proceedings of the British Association. 109 



Independent of these Reports, the original communications read or 

 verbally made to our several Sections, have been in the highest degree 

 interesting and copious ; not only as illustrating and extending al- 

 most every branch of science, but as having given rise to discussions 

 and interchanges of idea and information between the members pre- 

 sent, of which it is perfectly impossible to appreciate sufficiently 

 the influence and value. Ideas thus communicated fructify in a 

 wonderful manner on subsequeut reflection, and become, I am per- 

 suaded, in innumerable cases, the germs of theories, and the connect- 

 ing links between distant regions of thought, which might have 

 otherwise continued indefinitely dissociated. 



How far this Association has hitherto been instrumental in ful- 

 filling the ends for which it was called into existence, can, however, 

 be only imperfectly estimated from these considerations. Science, 

 as it stands at present, is not merely advanced by speculation and 

 thought; it stands in need of material appliances and means; its 

 pursuit is costly, and to those who pursue it for its own sake, utterly 

 unremunerative, however largely the community may benefit by its 

 applications, and however successfully practical men may turn their 

 own or others* discoveries to account. Hence arises a wide field for 

 scientific utility in the application of pecuniary resources in aid of 

 private research, and one in which assuredly this Association has not 

 held back its hand. I have had the curiosity to cast up the sums 

 which have been actually paid, or are now in immediate course of 

 payment, on account of grants for scientific purposes by this Associ- 

 ation since its last meeting at this place, and I find them to amount 

 to not less than 11,167^. And when it is recollected that in no case 

 is any portion of these grants applied to cover any personal expense, 

 it will easily be seen how very large an amount of scientific activity 

 has been brought into play by its exertions in this respect, to say 

 nothing of the now very numerous occasions in which the attention 

 and aid of Government has been effectually drawn to specific objects 

 at our instance. 



As regards the general progress of Science within the interval I 

 have alluded to, it is far too wide a field for me now to enter upon, 

 and it would be needless to do so in this assembly, scarcely a man of 



