338 PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA iNSTITUtfE. 
which I think faulty in the Victoria Institute, is that there is 
no system of publishing in a proper shape proceedings containing 
vast information, useful to every class of society. I should like 
that every year the Trinidad Victoria Institute Proceedings 
should be published, and be taken by everyone here. It should 
be upheld here; but it should go further, because when we have 
the honour of possessing among ourselves men of talent and 
recognised ability, we ought to go beyond the limits of this 
colony and diffuse knowledge among the West Indian Islands. 
I was astounded when I read the able papers which were pub- 
lished by the Scientific Association ; and Lam equally surprised 
that in so short a time as the existence of this Institute we 
should have been able to produce such able papers. Some of 
them are certainly open to criticism, but criticism is the privi- 
lege of everyone, I say to the public of Trinidad that I 
consider that the Committee of this Institute had a duty to 
perform and that they have performed that duty admirably and 
truly, and have not in any way whatever endeavoured to 
supplant the efforts of the Society that preceded it. There is 
another point. I am always strong on the point of unity. 
Where people are in small numbers gathering together, means 
strength. That has been well understood in this Society. Mr. 
Gu pp yj who was one of the pioneers of this Society, always 
wanted to unite with the Victoria Institute a Public Library 
and also to join to it the whole of the Agricultural Society. If 
the Agricultural Society could meet here it would give to this 
Institute another mark of greatness, which it is sure to possess 
in the future. Everything should be centred in the scientific 
centre, which is this Institute. Not only is it your Museum, 
but it is also the centre from which secondary instruction is 
driven at a nominal price. What has the Society not done 1 lb 
even tried amusing entertainments. There was a French even- 
in" devoted to Moliere, and an English evening to Shakespeare. 
Although those evenings were attended with great success, there 
is no doubt that to prepare for those evenings required too much 
effort; and in a climate liko ours people are not always ready 
to come in numbers. Though the Society was successful so far, 
I think they have undertaken a far better task in the course 
they have now instituted, viz., classes to form what this Colony 
wants more than anything else — skilled artisans. I lay stress 
on the word, and I now appeal specially to my friends who are 
simple artisans themselves, to remember that even in England 
the want of skilled artisans is felt. All over the Continent the 
cry is for men who are so skilled in the work which they are to 
do that they can claim and get double wages. That is what 
skill means. It is not to the discredit of this Colony to say that 
owing to the absence of opportunity such as is offered to you 
