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forenoon I bad the pleasure of receiving a letter from him, accom- 
panied by a short biographical memoir of his many scientific 
researches as a geologist, and of his great public services as a high 
officer of the Irish Government. 
This memoir I have brought with me this evening, that you may 
see in it an excellent photograph of my venerable friend, and our 
oldest colleague. 
III. Having said all that occurs to me of ourselves and our own 
doings as a Society, perhaps you will permit me, before closing, to 
allude to what is doing generally in the country for the advance- 
ment of science. 
There are two aspects in which science may be viewed : — First , 
The teaching of what is known ; and, second , The investigation of 
what is not known. 
1. As regards the teaching of what is known, — 
(1.) I must advert to the great additional impulse lately given 
in Scotland, England, and Ireland, by the Kensington Department 
of Science and Art. 
The efforts of that department are confined chiefly to schools — 
Middle-Class Schools — though they do not object to assist science 
classes, even in elementary schools. 
In Scotland, ten years ago, there were only 4 schools in connec- 
tion with the department, now there are 118. I observe a list of 
42 of these Scotch schools to which payments were made last year, 
amounting to L.1746, as perquisites to the teachers, which is no 
small pecuniary encouragement. 
(2.) Another measure — not yet adopted, but which, if adopted, 
will probably conduce to the advancement of science teaching — is 
one about to be proposed to Parliament by a distinguished Fellow of 
the Society, Mr Lyon Playfair. He intends to ask the House of 
Commons to pass a resolution, recommending the Government to 
create a department for Education, Science, and Art, with a respon- 
sible minister at the head of that department. 
I feel very sure that Mr Playfair wall be able to make out a good 
case for such an appointment. 
There is no country in the world whose various industries are 
more benefited than ours, by the help of science, and by that offi- 
