Recent Progress of Ethnology. 79 



is already known. Such being a law of relation between the 

 advancement and the diffusion of knowledge, I take the liberty 

 of asking you to aid us in advancing Ethnology by diffusing 

 as widely as possible a knowledge of it amongst your friends, 

 and thus to awaken in them an interest in our pursuit. In 

 this way, however small our knowledge may be, and however 

 unable immediately to enter upon original researches our- 

 selves, we may still indirectly conduce to the advancement of 

 our science. And let us not hesitate to pursue our inquiries, 

 lest they should land us in scepticism ; for that which refuses 

 to investigate in case of such a result, is a scepticism of the 

 worst kind ; for it is a scepticism whose assumption is, that 

 the words of God are at variance with His works ; and will, 

 therefore, continually place Religion and Science in antagon- 

 ism. Let us remember, in the beautiful language of Spur- 

 zheim, that " genuine philosophy and genuine religion are 

 very nearly akin. The one explores the elder volume of 

 nature — the other investigates the later volume of Divine 

 revelation. Both unite in their practical results ; both pro- 

 mote the present improvement of man ; both conduce to his 

 ultimate felicity." 



Chemical Report to the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council 

 for Trade , on the cause of Fire in the Ship Amazon. By 

 Professor Graham. 



My Lords, — In reply to the questions arising out of the disas- 

 trous loss of the Amazon by fire, which are proposed to me for a 

 chemical opinion, I beg to submit to your Lordships the following 

 statements and conclusions. 



The practice of mixing together the various stores of the engineer, 

 consisting of oils, tallow, soft-soap, turpentine, cotton-waste, and tow, 

 and placing them in heated store-rooms contiguous to the boilers, 

 must be looked upon as dangerous in no ordinary degree, for several 

 reasons. Although oil in bulk is not easily ignited, particularly when 

 preserved in iron tanks, still, when spilt upon wood or imbibed by 

 tow and cotton-waste, which expose much surface to air, the oil often 

 oxidates and heats spontaneously, and is allowed to be one of the 

 most frequent causes of accidental fires. The vegetable and drying 

 oils used by painters, are most liable to spontaneous ignition, but no 

 kind of animal or vegetable oil or grease appears to be exempted from 



