207 
Force and Matter , which went through no less than eight 
editions on the Continent before its English translation was 
presented to the British public by Mr. J. Frederick Collin o*. 
wood, Fellow of the Anthropological Society of London. Dr. 
Buchner thus concludes his volume : — • 
“ To di°fe e who may, by some of the results of our investigations, have felt 
themselves shaken in their philosophical or religious convictions, we recom- 
mend the following passage of Cotta, as a fit conclusion of this chapter, and 
of the whole work : — 
“ ‘ Empirical natural science has no other object than to find out the truth, 
be it, according to human notions, consolatory or the reverse, beautiful or 
ll oly> logical or illogical, rational or absurd, necessary or contingent.’ ” 
Surely when reasoning men, claiming to be natural philo- 
sophers, are not ashamed to avow that they are prepared to 
accept as truth, in natural science, what — according to 
human notions ” may be illogical, irrational, and absurd— 
to say nothing of what is ugly or the reverse of consolatory 
—it is high time to call men's attention to “ the Logic of 
Scepticism." ° 
. Having thus reviewed, although but imperfectly, the work 
m which we have been engaged during the first year of our 
existence as a Philosophical Society, it will probably be 
expected now, that I should say something of our future 
prospects ; but I fear further to trespass upon your patience. 
I will however say, that I am sure I shall but speak the 
common sentiment of every member of the Council and of 
every Member and Associate of the Institute, when I express 
our heartfelt thankfulness to God for the success that has 
hitherto crowned our labours. And, as our past has thus 
been biessed by Him from whom all blessings flow, so let us 
humbly pray and hope that our future also may and shall be 
blessed. _ At the same time let us remember that we have our 
part to do, that we are engaged in a noble work, indeed in a 
glorious warfare. We may not, therefore, listlessly sit down, 
and rest contented with what has been already achieved, but 
prepare ourselves diligently, so far as we are able, to enter 
upon iresh labours and to engage in fresh intellectual conflicts. 
In conclusion, I ask once more, in words with which you 
are already familiar, - What nobler pursuit can man engage 
m, than m trying to discover Truth by the philosophic study 
ol bod s works of creation; and in what respect can Christians 
better employ themselves, than in thus discovering ever fresh 
proofs and confirmation of the revelations contained in Holy 
bcnpture ? " J 
