beg to ober iny best thanks to our President, t he Honorable Captain Dick, for Um 
readiness vviih whicli he lias attended to, and «d'ocaied ihe interesls of this Society, 
for his constant and punclual attendance and fpr the gracious and, aff be mouner in 
which any Interviews wilh hi«», in relation to this Society, liavq been cpnducted, 
u The present is indeed a propitious moment for coming forward to assisl the So- 
ciety, because it will ident i fy it with t hat grand inlelleetua'l movement which is t. ra- 
versing every civilized conniry of the world, and whicli is one of the paramouni. 
cbaracteristics of this nineteenlh Century. The present age is distinguished by a 
ipighty fermentation of the human mind, and among its beneficial and strougly deve- 
loped resulls, the attention of even a careiess observer cannot fail to be struck with 
the institutions of a literary and scientific character, whicli during the last few years 
have been called into existence, and are now so rapid ly increasrng, even in lands’too 
yvhere it was political disbonour and degradalimi to breathe to the world a pure a =.d 
free thought. IIow cheering is the prospeCt of iheir advancing growin ! How every 
libre in the philösopbic beart vibrales with gladness as it becomes conscious thai they 
not only are themselves as institutions, new ihing«, but t ha t iliey repiesent a new 
idea in t he world ! It is now feit that divine philosophy shohld not descend from 
heaven to enlighten the (?ew but the mainy ; this truth is now the conviction of ovo, 
atid its irresistible Operation is certain. All error is transitory ; and thoiigh etrois 
enough have exercised an empire over men, and still coniinue to cj° so, yet they 
have perpetually changerl Iheir form : one error has chased away another, has held q 
temporary sway to be dispos-essed by its successor ; but truth is enduring and uri- 
changeable, and it is to the glory and happiness of our day, becoming gradually more 
and more known, and therefote inore and more reyereoced by thousands of mankind, 
« It would be idle and superfluous here to enter into any of the cheering statisiic« 
of tliese institutions for raising the imelleciual character of the masses ; they are mul- 
tiplex and various ; but iheir sum is this, (hat ihe States inan and Jurist have flu -g 
aside Iheir blood-slamed Codes, the vital object of which had been for ages the punish 
ment and not the prevention of crime, and have now operated. on the human nimd 
as on a high and spiritual essence, and not as an aggregation of uncultjyable and 
prejudicial feelings. They have therefore laid aside all narrow and inadequate views, 
and have nobly mel the grand necessily of the age, by administering to its positive 
waut. The minds of the artizan and the mechapic, of ihe ppor and the low, of 
the unrecognised classes in all amecedenl legislgtipns, had been roused by a special 
interposition of Providence, from their sleep of apathy and debasemerit ; they cried 
for the waters of education to slake iheir thirst, and Philanthropie slatesmen respond- 
ed to their call ; literary qnd scientific institutions were patronised and supportec) 
by the rieh and the noble, qnd have thus poured their salulary streams thr&ugh the 
land. As a manifestatioo a id corroboration of this as*ertion in an extreme degree, 
with Ihe permission of His Excellency, 1 will read an extract from Mr. Ewart’s Bill 
« to eslablish Museums of art for the lower classes, » which was brought before the 
Hoose of Commons in April last, and which was received with the apptause not only 
of the « New England Party, t but also by the more sl$ady and more practica! poy- 
tion of the older members. 
» Preamble : Whereas it is expedient to promote Ihe eslablishment and extension 
of Museums of art in such Municipal ßoroughs as may require ihe same for the ins- 
iruction of the inhabitants thereof ; be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s most 
excellent Majesty, etc., etc., that it sliall be lawful for the Council of any Municipal 
Borough, to purchese lands and to erect thereon buildings suitable für Museums of 
art, and to maintain and keep the same in good repair ; and that the « cost and 
> charges of such lands and buildings, aod the keeping nf the same in good repair, 
v sliall be cbargeable upon and paid for out of the Borough fund'ofsurh Municipal 
« Boroughs : provided always, that for the proposes of Ibis act, no rate greater tlian a 
rate of one half penny in the pound of the annual value of the rateable property 
; assessed to the Borough rate, shall be levied in any one year, etc. » — Here then is 
the recognition of the grand principle of pecuniary endowment ; this principle has 
been sanctioned by Nie present Government itsetf in relation to oiher colonies ; and 
" 1 trusl ere long this society will have to thank Sir William Gomm for procuring ihe 
colony of Mauritius the same boon of Royal patronage and support which has been 
