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congratulate them upon the statement in the Report with respect to the large 
number of members who had already joined, and which was almost unpre- 
cedented in a new society. He believed, now that the Institute was estab- 
lished, the number of members would go on increasing. (Hear, hear.) No 
society could have had a more satisfactory “Inaugural Address.” He thought 
the commencement which they had made was excellent — that failure was now 
next to impossible. A wide field was open to them, and the necessity which 
existed for some such'society as theirs had long been felt. It filled up a gap 
which had been open between scientific societies, which ignored religion 
altogether, and theological societies, which did not profess to discuss scientific 
subjects. He was aware that a number of literary and scientific societies 
existed in London, all doing good service in their own spheres ; but it some- 
times happened that questions bearing upon the truths of revelation were 
under discussion, and many unnecessary accusations were made against it by 
some who were regarded as scientific men. But gentlemen who attempted to 
defend revelation were placed at a great disadvantage, because they were 
obliged to conform to the rules of such societies, and to confine their remarks 
on the subject under debate to the scientific view of the question. He was 
not going to say that was wrong — perhaps it was right — but many gentlemen 
had experienced the difficulty to which he referred. Not long since, during 
a discussion which took place at the Anthropological Society, an instance of 
this kind occurred. A paper was read in which most unfounded statements 
were made with reference to Christian missions and the truths of revelation ; 
but when a gentleman stood up to defend the cause of Christianity, he was 
told he must confine his observations to such questions as caine within the 
scope of an anthropological debate. It was to meet difficulties of this kind 
that the Victoria Institute was established. Its chief feature was that it did 
not confine its discussions to any particular branch of science (hear, hear) ; 
and when any fact was brought forward likely to affect the truth of reve- 
lation, the members would be at liberty to discuss it in all its bearings. (Hear, 
hear.) He trusted that no one regarded the Society as being established in 
opposition to any other scientific institution of the day. (Hear.) They had 
just drunk prosperity to the Society ; but unquestionably a great deal of its 
prosperity depended upon the support which it received from the gentlemen 
present, and he trusted that they would all exert themselves to promote its 
success. (Hear, hear.) It had been admirably begun, and he hoped it would 
be enabled to carry out its work. One of the objects of the Society was to 
translate foreign books of a kind which might be beneficially read by Christian 
readers. This would involve considerable expense, but he did not doubt that 
the support which would be given to the Society would enable it to effect 
that object. He trusted they would all endeavour to get as many members 
as they could, and that at the next annual meeting of the Society it would 
number a thousand members. (Cheers.) 
Captain Fishbourne said, he did not know why he should have been 
selected to respond to the toast of success to the Victoria Institute, as its for- 
mation was no more due to him than to other members present. They 
