Anniversary Address. 21 



Looking, too, at the present state of knowledge of the super- 

 ficies of the planet Mars, whose boundaries of seas and land, straits 

 and islands, and polar snows, have been charted, the hypothesis 

 wears an air of truth, that the other planets are of similar 

 structure with' that of the earth. 



I will not go further — for I should be brought within the reach 

 of the severe logic of my friend the late Astronomer, now our 

 present able Secretary, who, in his paper "On the Plurality of 

 Worlds," read to us in 1858, warned us against wandering into 

 paths where we may go astray; but I trust there is no scientific 

 heresy in expressing my own belief that other worlds in our 

 system may be habitable, and, for aught any one can decide 

 against me, may be parts of the many mansions in our Father's 

 House above. 



Gentlemen in concluding this discourse, I can only reiterate 

 the expression with which I began, that I undertook it simply 

 from my respect for the Society in whose ranks I have been happy 

 to be accepted as a humble worker. But advancing years and 

 frequent failures of health warn me that there is a night coming 

 when no man can work, and it may be wiser to leave to those 

 whose energies are elastic and strong — exertions for which nature 

 affords only diminishing support, and the only impulse to which 

 is in the hope (perhaps a vain one) that we are in the path of 

 duty. 



It is this feeling which has led me to introduce reference to 

 myself in the course of my address, as I wished to set right some 

 things f ^r which another so good an opportunity might not 

 perhaps, occur. In looking round for a subject to discuss, I was 

 perplexed by the multitude that offered, and I have been com- 

 pelled to neglect the consideration of one only, for the sake of 

 rendering what I have had to say less irksome, and of noticing 

 the points which connect the general subject Avith ourselves. 

 The topics on which 1 have ventured to speak are all based on 

 observations, and on reasonings from them up to principles. And 

 I would desire to close my remarks with two quotations, which I 

 commend to your consideration — the first from a j>aper which I 

 could not further quote to-night, and by an author who thus 

 sums up his review of the progress made in the sciences during 



