advan ring Scien ce. 



8095 



Vessels. 



From France 317 



„ Spain 295 



„ Portugal 169 



„ Italian States 174 



„ Belgium 123 



„ Hollaud 116 



„ Germany 101 



„ Turkey 101 



it Egypt 98 



„ Cuba, and foreign West In- 

 dies 96 



„ Prussia 75 



„ Denmark 74 



„ West Coast of Africa — 



Foreign ports 74 

 „ Ditto, British possessions ... 37 

 „ North Ports of Russia 71 



Vessels. 



From South Ports of Russia 31 



„ Channel Islands 36 



„ Norway 13 



„ Wallachia and Moldavia ... 13 



„ Syria 13 



„ Fernando Po 3 



„ Ionian Islands 1 1 



„ Gibraltar and Malta 10 



„ Philippine Islands 11 



„ Morocco 10 



„ Sweden 7 



„ Java 2 



„ Greece 7 



„ Tunis 1 



„ Burman Empire 1 



Total... 4528 



The above, it must be borne in mind, represents only the ships 

 arriving at a single port in a given year, and the numbers are 

 annually increasing. 



Nor is the port of Liverpool, although the largest, representing one- 

 third of the commerce of England, the only one to which similar 

 remarks are applicable ; and it therefore becomes a question worthy 

 of consideration, How is it that such a vast staff of enterprising men, 

 constantly sailing to all parts of the globe, do so little to add to our 

 knowledge of the natural productions which they, of all men, are in 

 the very best position to explore, and best able to provide for the 

 investigations of scientific naturalists at home ? Why do these men, 

 confining their attention to the immediately useful results of the trade 

 in which they are engaged, altogether pass by natural objects, the 

 collection and contemplation of which could not fail to be a source of 

 interest, and which, to men with a moderate degree of education, 

 would, it might be imagined, afford the stimulus of a rational pride ? 



One thing is certain, viz., that no accessions of importance are- 

 derived to our museums and collections from the labours of sea- 

 faring men. A piece of coral, a parrot, a shell or two, or something 

 which has received attention from its oddity, is occasionally brought 

 by the sailor from the rich and interesting regions which he has 

 visited ; but, as a general rule, anything of value or importance is not 

 even to be looked for. No system of any kind marks the seaman's 

 gatherings, and when they have been distributed among his friends 



