54 
Mr. A. MaCxArthuil, M.P., in returning thanks, said : Mj Lord, Ladies, 
and Gentlemen, in answering to this vote I may say that this is the first 
intimation I had that I was expected to say a word on this occasion. It 
always affords me great pleasure to attend the Annual Meetings of this 
Institute, but I scarcely know on what grounds I should be called upon to 
return thanks upon the present occasion, unless it be, that 1 am perhaps 
the greatest offender of any member of the Council. I have been, 1 am 
sorry to say, very irregular in my attendance, but I can assure you, my 
Lord and this Meeting, that my inattention has not arisen from any 
want of interest in this Institute, or from any want of desire to promote 
its prosperity, but in consequence of numerous other engagements ; and 
I have found it a very great loss to myself that I have not been able to 
attend more regularly. I rejoice, however, very much in the prosperity of 
this Institute. In consequence of some remarks that have been made, I 
have been referring in my own mind to the early days of the Institute, when 
an honoured friend, who is now no longer with us, in conjunction with myself 
and some others endeavoured to establish this Society; we soon had 170 mem- 
bers, as stated ; and I recollect upon one occasion saying that I hoped the 
time was not very far distant when we should have 800 or ],000. We have 
now come up to 800, and I have strong hopes that before very long we shall 
have 1,000. I think there are many reasons why we should congratulate 
ourselves upon the success of the Institute. Some have already been 
referred to. One is the fact, that notwithstanding the commercial depression 
of the past year, which almost all classes have felt, our numbers have not only 
been maintained but increased, and that both commercially and numerically 
we stand in a better position than we did last year. 1 also rejoice that 
this Institute is no longer a London institute. It has been very valuable 
in London; but it is increasingly and tenfold more valuable in distant parts 
of the world, where men have not the opportunity of going to libraries and 
consulting standard works as in this country ; and I believe that those 
who possess the Journal of this Institute, possess an encyclopaedia of 
useful knowledge which is invaluable. I fully endorse the remarks of our 
friend here. Sir Joseph Fayrer, as to the practice of denouncing scientific men 
as infidels, and whenever that is the case I raise my voice against it. I think 
it cannot be too widely known that we have many of the most scientific, able 
men, of the present day, who have been the most able Christian advocates, 
and we have the strongest evidence that they believe in the doctrines which 
they teach — such men as Faraday and Brewster, and many others that might 
be named I think fully bear out this — and we have one in our admirable 
lecturer here this evening. I will not trespass further upon your time. I 
beg to thank you very much in the name of the Council for your very kind 
vote of thanks. One word before I sit down. I attribute a great deal of 
the prosperity of this Institute, in fact all of it, to the admirable management 
of our honorary secretary. (Cheers). One of our most active members to 
whom I have referred, Mr. Beddie, was taken from us, and we were afraid 
we should not get any one to fill his place, but a kind Providence raised up 
