12 The American Geologist. January, i903. 
His first "Report" is addressed to the Hon. Joseph Howe, 
M.P., Secretary of State for the provinces, and in it Dr. Sel- 
wyn points out the practicabihty of the estabhshment of a 
School of Mines in connection with the Geological Survey. 
The following passage taken from Dr. Selwyn's inaugural 
address as president of the section of geological and biolog- 
•cal sciences, of the Royal Society of Canada, delivered May 
the 25th, 1882, gives an excellent idea of a high-minded spirit 
and love of the science to which he was devoting his life and 
energies. In dealing with general scientific work in new coun- 
tries and the constant "struggle for life" which scientists have 
to encounter, he writes: — "In spite, however, of these difficult- 
ies Canadian geologists have succeeded in attaining and hold- 
ing recognized and highly honorable positions in the scientific 
world. It is needless to dwell on the history and details of the 
struggle which has achieved this result and in which you all, 
with others now no more, have nobly shared. It behooves us, 
however, and especially the younger members of the corps, to 
remember that the fight is not ended, that, as in the past, so in 
the future, the struggle will have to be maintained. But if 
this society so auspiciously inaugurated, effects that much 
needed concentration, and consolidation of the efforts of the 
hitherto scattered combatants, uniting them in one solid phal- 
anx, we may feel assured that the struggle of the future will 
be a far less arduous one than the struggle of the past. More 
especially will this be so if we never for a moment forget that 
the only object of scientific inquiry is truth, That the soul and 
life of this search in which we are all engaged consists in the 
fresh interchange of thoughts and the love of full and com- 
plete investigation, with fair and open discussion, unbiassed 
by and irrespective of all personal considerations and based 
not on theory but on carefully observed and honestly stated 
facts. Such evidence, treated in the spirit I have indicated, 
certainly will lead us to the truth, but we must always guard 
against confounding it, as has so often been done, with ingen- 
ious theory and dogmatic assertion, because these, however 
clever or eloquently supported they may be, are almost cer- 
tain to lead us in a direction the very opposite to that in which 
it should be our aim to travel. For similar reasons partizan- 
ship, however commendable and necessary in the political 
