GEOLOGY HAS NOT BEEN ENCOURAGED BY GOVERNMENT. 
153 
the standard works on natural history, should 
be furnished at the expense of government, 
as well as all kinds of philosophical instru- 
ments and chemical apparata.” 
We are unquestionably of opinion that the 
less scientific institutions have to do with 
Government the better: such a con nection 
would bring the noblest institutions in a 
state of the most abject dependence and 
bondage conceivable. As for ourselves, 
we ask liberty — especially in a Geological? 
Physical, or any other scientific institu- 
tion, and we should like to see always, 
as we have seen at the Asiatic Society, 
men of authority and power take their 
seats only as members. We expect, 
and it is not unreasonable to expect, 
that Government should come forw’^ard with 
the powerful arm of support, not only as 
refers to pecuniary assistance, but as regards 
its influence in obtaining for such societies 
all the aid necessaiy to promote the object 
of their foundation. At this moment socie- 
ties in India cannot support scientific men 
for the pu rpose of travelling and research ; 
but the Government has many scientific 
men especially in the Medical Service, it 
may afl'ord them employment during these 
times of peace and affluence, and thus give 
an impetus an d encouragement to the cause. 
But as to the societies themselves belonging 
to Government, we deprecate the idea alto- 
gether. Under the principle of encourage- 
ment we have advocated, we readily accede 
to Dr. McClelland’s following proposition. 
“ Stores of this kind should be supplied 
either to the public at large, or only to the 
members of the societies, at such low prices, 
as would merely cover the expense of their 
hnportation. 
The importance of this may be under- 
stood, when it is known, that the expense and 
difficulty of procuring philosophical instru- 
ments, books, &c. inthe Upper Provinces of 
India, amount to an almost total prohibition 
of them, thus causing a perfect suppression of 
individual industry in the cause of national 
improvement, as well as of science. With 
respect to those philosophical instruments in 
particular, whose only value in their accurate 
adjustment, the submission of the purchaser 
to the most exorbitant charges for them 
seldom protects him from disappointment, 
such as is calculated to induce him, if not 
to force him, to relinquish all his efforts.” 
Dr. McClelland hints that the financial 
officers of Government may entertain an 
opinion that the Physical class of the 
Asiatic Society is sufficient for all the 
purposes that are required. We dififer from 
our author in the opinion that, however, 
useful the Society may have been in regard 
to the other branches of Science, it has in 
this; “ really done nothing”. 
“I very much doubt, if their Transactions 
up to a very late period, contain one mineral 
description that would be received by a 
systematic writer as correct.* The objects of 
the Asiatic Society are too comprehensive to 
be of much use in the cultivation of geology ; 
this science itself requiring a greater variety 
of attainments in abstruse details, than could 
be well discussed in a Society devoted to 
general learning. 
In support of this fact, it is only neces- 
sary to refer to the Transactions of the 
Geological Societies of Great Britain, and 
compare w'hat has been done by those insti- 
tutions within the last few years, with the 
few geological papers to be found in the 
whole series of Philosophical Transactions of 
London and Edinburgh. The Royal Irish 
Academy is perhaps an exception to the rule 
here implied ; but if so, it is owing only to 
the influence of Richard Kirwan, “ the 
father of British mineralogy,” whose writings 
on geological subjects attracted the attention 
of Europe, and gave a bias to the Society 
over v,?hich he presided, something like that 
which was occasioned by Newton in favour 
of mathematical philosophy. To the influ- 
ence of Kirwan is ascribed, the honour 
possessed by the Dublin Society, of being 
the first institution in the British empire to 
endow a geological professorship. Yet, 
notwithstanding the interest evinced by 
already existing institutions in Ireland in 
behalf of geology, it has (I believe) been 
recently deemed expedient to increase their 
number, by the addition of a Royal Geologi- 
cal Society.” 
It is but recently that Geological 
researches have advanced, and if there has 
not been such numerous illustrations of this 
part of the globe since 1817, as our author 
expected, we must repeat, that it is to be 
ascribed to the fact that the rulers of the 
country have not encouraged this research^as 
a distinct object of attention ; consequently 
the surface of our Indian empire has not 
* The period to which I refer is 1817; since 
which time, some late and much lamented 
authors, have evinced their zeal in behalf of 
geology, by communications of great interest. 
The more minute, and consequently the most 
important, portion of their labours have not 
yet been published, and it is feared, will be 
ultimately lost to the world from the defects in' 
our institutions here referred to. 
