What Made the Institute Possible. 323 



ing ; then the titled officers from the Courts of France and England. 

 It has had the savage war-whoop ringing at its very gates, and the 

 cannon shots of invading hosts almost near enough to be heard from 

 its hill tops. It has been the objective point of attack in two Avars, 

 though never reached ; and these attacks wer< not n 1 1 rt- 



ant affairs of outposts, but were portions of the great plans of 

 strategy which accompanied the conduct of wars that changed t he whole 

 ±ate of the world, and that with different results, might have done 

 much to set back the course of civilization. In one, the success of 

 Montcalm against Wolfe might have so constrained the operations of 

 the allied forces against Frederick as to have altered the destiny of 

 all Europe ; in the other, thirteen colonies hung breathless on the 

 issue, since upon it mainly depended, more certainly than at 

 that time they realized, the question of their final independence. 

 There has scarcely been a generation in the history of Albany, in 

 fact, during some period of which the eyes of all nations have not 

 been turned upon us, awaiting the development of schemes or under- 

 takings fraught with importance to civilization. And here have been 

 settled matters of national and international policy that have made 

 our statesmen distinguished, and for centuries will be topics for dis- 



This varied career, I claim, must have formed a large part of the 

 condition which made the Albany Institute possible. I do not 



result, and without winch it .-.mid never have been reached. Nor do 

 I claim that associations of similar purpose and equal value could not 



through an age of dull uniformity, and yet reach influence and distinc- 

 tion at the last. But I do maintain that there has been much in our 

 past history, not only of value in rendering the I t t t lcome 

 element in the scientific world, but even in making its early creation 

 a necessity. Where so much interesting history has been wrought 

 out, there must be historians who would wish their labors properly 

 acknowledged. Where there are statesmen, it is tit that their works 

 should have due preservation in some permanent form. And more 

 especially where there are men among us distinguished with world- 

 wide scientific reputations, it is eminently needful that their observa- 

 tions should be suitably recorded. These classes, not always in any 

 one city sufficiently numerous to maintain themselves alone, naturally 

 felt that in a closer connection they would more readily attain their 



