1876.] Encouragement of Scientific Research. 469 
“ In Physical Sciences I find that thirty-one treatises, 
almost all of them exhibiting special and original researches, 
were published. Of these nineteen are German, eight are 
French, two Italian ; while England is represented by 
Thorpe’s “ Manual of Quantitative Analysis ” and by a 
popular work on the moon ! 
“ In History the proportion is much more favourable to 
England, thanks to the practical endowment of historical research 
at the Rolls Office. Of fourteen books four are German, four 
English, two French, and four belong to various other 
nations.” 
This certainly has a most alarming sound, and if we had 
no other evidence to bring forward we might, on the faith of 
this alone, lay claim to have proved our proposition that our 
scientific position, as a nation, is most unsatisfactory. But 
this is far from all. If we turn from chemistry to other 
branches of science — to physics, biology, geology, philology 
—we still find the case in the main unaltered. Our original 
scientific work is far surpassed in its amount by that of 
France and Germany, and our competent scientific workers 
are surpassed in numbers. 
Is not the subjoined case truly humiliating ? “ The 
fungus which produces the potato-disease is still imperfectly 
known, and the Royal Agricultural Society— with a laudable 
desire to remedy that deficiency, in the absence of any 
laboratory in this country where such investigations are 
prosecuted— was compelled to have recourse to that of the 
University of Strasburg, and placed £100 at the disposal of 
Professor De Bary, in order to have the subject completely 
investigated.” 
We come now to a part of the subject which requires a 
somewhat delicate treatment, but which is far too serious to 
be passed over. Surely if there is any one thing which we 
should produce in sufficient amount for our own wants, and 
which we ought rather to export than import, it is disciplined 
intellect. To bring into England foreign thinkers, dis- 
coverers, improvers, ought to be as superfluous and unremu- 
nerative a task as bringing coals to Newcastle. But turning 
from what should be to what actually is, we must tell a 
different tale. How many professorships in our universities 
and colleges are now held by foreigners ? How many places 
of trust in museums, libraries, botanical gardens, and the 
like, are not in alien hands ? How many foreign che- 
mists, and even engineers, are now either in private practice 
throughout the kingdom or hold the most lucrative and 
responsible positions in our manufacturing establishments ? 
