4 



INAUGURAL ADDRESS 



books on scientific subjects which were written in fi style to be in- 

 telligible to any but the highly educated, and the bulk of the 

 community were left under the impression that as so little of any 

 practical value or use was apparent, scientific investigation was 

 only a waste of time and avoidance of real work. 



The education of the masses has, however, raised them to a 

 position to understand, at least to some extent, the value of 

 theoretical investigation ; while what are termed the applied 

 sciences have provided a bridge between theory and practice, 

 by which ftie daily work of our hands may be rendered easier, or 

 at least more effective, in its results. Even professional men in 

 the early part of the present century were content to follow the 

 practice and custom of their predecessors, and had little data on 

 which to base improvement ; and the outcome vv'as that our 

 structures, machines, and implements were ill-proportioned, in- 

 volving great waste of labour and material, with inadequate re- 

 sults. Take, for instance, our ships, which in the recollection of 

 those present used to take thrice the time now usual in the voyage 

 from England to Australia. That increase in speed has only been 

 attained through scientific investigation of the forms of least re- 

 sistance ; while the iron of which our huge steamers are con- 

 structed could never have been manufactured without the aid of 

 the scientific chemist and his knowledge of chemical equivalents. 

 Nor could the steam engines have been brought to their present 

 perfection but for investigation of a very high order into the 

 speci'ic heat of bodies, and the amount of force developed in 

 their combinations. How i lb. of carbon requires 12 lbs. of 

 atmospheric air for its combustion ; that i lb. of water requires 

 as much heat to change it into steam as would heat 966 lbs. of 

 water i degree ; and also that the amount of heat required to 

 heat I lb. of water i degree is equivalent to a force capable of 

 raising 772 lbs. one foot. 



On the other hand, turning to machines for freezing, science 

 shows us that to cool i lb. of water from 62 degrees to 32 degrees, 

 even in a perfect machine, a force equal to lifting 23,160 lbs. one 

 foot must be expended, and that to change it into ice an addi- 

 tional force of 109,624 foot pounds is absorbed, so that making 

 no allowance for lobs of power through friction of machines 

 and the radiation of heat, the manufacture of a pound of ice 

 absorbs as much power as would lift nearly 60 tors a foot. 



It has been suggested lhat the meat supply of Brisbane should 

 be frozen, but have oar city fathers vee.lised tlie fact thai to freeze 

 a single bullock as much steam power is re<|uired as would lift 



