Il6 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



mechanics. They must always form the basis of a truly scientific 

 education, and there is much wisdom in insisting upon the study of 

 them. Then, as subjects more* especially adapted to their work, we 

 have the courses of geology, mineralogy, applied mechanics, mining 

 geology, mining and metallurgy; and as practical work there are the 

 courses of mine surveying, practical mineralogy, including petrography 

 and blowpipe analysis, and also assaying. Thus you see the training is 

 intended to be sufficiently broad and comprehensive. In thus making 

 so many subjects compulsory we are only following the advice of the 

 most eminent educational authorities, which is : ' Do not specialise too 

 soon, for each man has a faculty for some separate branch, and he will 

 ultimately be attracted strongly, and "will probably devote himself 

 almost entirely to this branch. If he does this too early in life, he will 

 feel the need of a broad or liberal education before he has advanced 

 very far ; for the sciences are so intertwined that it is impossible to 

 study one for any length of time without requiring the knowledge of 

 half a dozen more.' There is just one more remark to make upon this 

 subject. The opinion of most men who have been connected for years 

 with large scientific institutions is, that there is nothing so stimulating 

 to an advanced student as the struggle for the elucidation of some 

 problem. In this kind of work his power of applying the principles of 

 the sciences he has learned, and his manipulative abilities are tested 

 ofttimes to their utmost, and it is in this kind of work that he discovers, 

 so to speak, his grit. Hence, though we are at the beginning, really, 

 only of our work, yet we may hope in the not distant future to 

 approach and to overcome those problems of mining and metallurgical 

 interest which are always to be found in a comparatively young country 



like New Zealand The thorough investigation 



as to the acquisition of its mineral wealth is to the State as a whole of 

 paramount importance. Excuse me for again referring to the United 

 States, T do so because I know of no better example. The rapid growth 

 of the States in population and wealth is a fact patent to all. Now, 

 however much we may be opposed to a rapid increase in population, 

 and particularly of an increase due to the mixture of such heterogeneous 

 people as those oi the States, yet Ave are by no means averse to a similar 

 increase of wealth. It would not be difficult to prove that this 

 unparalleled development is largely due to the opening tip of vast 

 mineral resources. Thus the production of the valuable fuels and 

 metals has increased at a rate unprecedented in the history of mankind. 

 The output of coal for example in the year 1860 was 15,000,000 tons, 

 but the output in 1889 was 132,500,000 tons. In the year 1852 the 

 output of copper was only 1,000 tons, in 1890 it was 121,560 tons, or 

 half that of the total output of the world. The production of gold even 

 now is almost equal to that of the whole of Australasia. But the 

 increase in the production of iron is, perhaps, the most marvellous of 

 all, for while in 1852 only 511,990 tons of pig iron were made, in 1890 

 the output reached the gigantic total of 10,250,000. For many years 

 it has beaten all other countries in the production of silver, and last 

 year the enormous total of 4,167,0001b troy was obtained. We can 

 form no proper estimate of this stupendous quantity. Just as this 

 acquisition of wealth from the working of mineral deposits has been the 

 greatest factor in the growth of the States, so also it svas this which 



