45 
should be a lull in our efforts. We have still our work before us, and we 
must not flag in that work. I am very glad to hear of the new plan 
which has been adopted for conducting our proceedings during the present 
session. I think the idea of alternating the discussions in the manner pro- 
posed is an extremely good one, for sometimes people would be very willing 
to bring out interesting points in a quiet unreported discussion, when they 
would not like to do so if they knew that all their observations appeared 
afterwards in print. I believe that valuable truths may be brought out 
in such discussions, and may afterwards be embodied by the speakers, ill 
papers which will be very valuable to us — as valuable as any of those 
which we have already had before us. I now call on Mr. Row to read 
his paper. 
ON DR. NEWMAN’S ESSAY IN AID OF A GRAMMAR 
OF ASSENT. By the Rev. C. A. Row, M.A., M.Y.I. 
1. rpHB name of Dr.Newman will probably suggest to many 
I of my hearers that this Paper will participate largely in 
a theological character. I will therefore undeceive them at 
once. The treatise before me claims to be scientific. It is 
true, that theological questions are touched on in it, but, pro- 
fessedly, in a spirit purely philosophical. My own opinion 
is, that its philosophy is biassed by the theology of the 
author ; but with his theology I shall have no concern. The 
author appeals to fact and to reason alone. Its principles 
extend over the whole range of human thought, and are funda- 
mental to most important questions of philosophy, science, 
history, criticism, taste, theology, in fact, wherever a convic- 
tion about truth is possible. This is a sufficient reason why 
we should give them a careful consideration. The work con- 
sists of 485 pages, and I calculate that nearly 300 of these 
are purely philosophical. What adds greatly to the interest 
of Dr. Newman’s work is, that he assisted Whately in the 
composition of his Elements of Logic. It may be considered 
as giving us the measure of the changes in his views on that 
subject, which forty-five years have made in the mind of the 
author. 
2. The work bears a modest title : it is an Essay in Aid 
of a Grammar of Assent. It is therefore tentative only — 
a movement in the wav of establishing a grammar of assent ; 
but it makes no pretentions to be such a grammar. This is 
as it should be ; for in the present state of our knowledge, all 
that can be done is to contribute some aid towards its creation. 
A great point will be gained if we can elaborate principles 
which may hereafter be erected into a system ; or if the elabo- 
