October 28,1S71.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
315 
school of natural science, according as the hoys’ strong 
propensity or the insight of an able master should direct. 
He should say, generally, that the advantage to the 
mind of an education in physical science was (1) that it 
trained us to habits of close observation, of inquiry, of 
induction, and of verification; (2) that in doing this it 
brought us into close contact with the actual facts of 
nature ; (3) that it had a direct bearing on our business 
in life, to an extent which was hardly the case with any 
other study. The first advantage of the study was that 
it trained the mind of the studont to those rules by which 
all great discoveries have been made; it made him in¬ 
sensibly familiar with the course of inquiry by which he 
might in very truth “interrogate nature,” and it gave 
him a large knowledge of that immense world of mate¬ 
rial truth which nature could reveal. And in saying 
this, he had almost anticipated the second advantage 
which ho attributed to this study, that, in a manner quite 
different from any other, it brought us into such direct 
contact with facts. Other sciences, mathematics for ex¬ 
ample, which were so essential, both as a basis for nearly 
all physical inquiry, and also as a means for proving and 
completing discoveries, are simply a source of argument 
and of deduction. The mathematician starts with a few 
obvious propositions, and the rest of his work consists in 
drawing deductions from these. This training was in¬ 
finitely valuable; and it w r as especially valuable in phy¬ 
sical science on this account—not merely because it so 
wonderfully strengthened the attention, and enabled men 
to carry in their heads long trains of argument and of 
calculation—but because it showed that physical science 
rests upon the highest laws of reasoning, and that we 
can only master it by vigorous and systematic training. 
But then, this training once gone through, the Student 
of physical science must, as it were, grapple with nature 
itself, and very little he would ever know of it unless he 
could do its work for himself, with his own hands and 
with his own eyes. And this, by the testimony of all 
scientific men, it was important to impress upon the 
minds of students at the very outset. They would never 
know anything of chemistry unless they did good work 
in the laboratory. It was only by examining for them¬ 
selves fossil after fossil that they could know anything 
of the structure of the earth. There was one other 
point, which perhaps he ought not to have reserved for 
the end. It "was the practical value of these studies and 
their bearing on some of the most important professions 
in the country,—it was how far they would assist the 
student in “ getting on.” Now, he assured them he was 
far from undervaluing this very telling and eminently 
modern and permanently English view of the question. 
He was not sure that the eagerness for immediate results 
did not sometimes overshoot its mark ; and he suspected 
that often the man who had spent two or three “ unpro¬ 
ductive” years in gaining a really profound acquaintance 
with his profession, whether as a lawyer, an engineer, or 
a clergyman, in the end turned out the more successful 
man. It was quite true that, in 'the North of England 
especially, the native energy and talent of our great miners 
and engineers, aided by unequalled natural advantages, 
had placed them almost at the head of the enterprise of 
the world ; but they were too sagacious not to be aware 
that in days of keen struggle, they could not hold their 
own unless they could enlist the most tried and educated 
workmen on their side. They were too well aware that 
in many branches of labour, of everything especially 
which had to do with art—of the composition of colours, 
for instance—they were surpassed by foreigners already, 
and he would add, to take a more limited though still a 
just view of the question, they, whose children were 
about to embark on those great professions, knew that 
their best chance, and far their noblest course, would be 
by attaining a thorough scientific mastery of the work 
they would have to do in life. They had heard what his 
notions of a good education were, and that they were far 
from being limited to the teaching of physical science. 
He hoped that literature would soon take its place in 
I their classes, and there was nothing which would more 
rejoice him than to see the early foundation of a Pro¬ 
fessorship of English History and of Political Economy. 
A luncheon was afterwards served in the Central Ex¬ 
change News Room, to which a large number of ladies 
and gentlemen sat down. When tho usual loyal toasts 
had been drunk,— 
Earl Grey proposed “Success to the Newcastle College 
of Physical Science.” His lordship remarked that the 
College was intended to give sound instruction in the 
principles of physical science to young men who for the 
most part would in future life take an active part in the 
various industrial enterprises for which the district was 
distinguished, and who would be the main assistance in 
carrying on the mining operations, shipbuilding yards, en¬ 
gineering, chemical and other great works which were 
in operation in the town and neighbourhood. It was 
therefore highly desirable to give them such sound in¬ 
struction in the principles of physical science as would 
enable them so to join science with practice as to afford 
them a far better chance than they ever possessed before 
of making advances in the industrial pursuits of the 
district. They knew what great improvements had been 
effected in the various departments of industry which 
distinguished this neighbourhood, in the past thirty or 
forty years, and it was reasonable to hope that when 
there were employed a much greater number of persons 
who not only knew from practice and from experience 
how they ought to be carried on, but who were also in¬ 
structed in the principles of science upon which all im¬ 
provements proceeded, the career of improvement would 
proceed with accelerated speed. The College was intended 
to increase the knowledge of the most effective mode of 
applying the powers of nature, and was calculated 
direotly to improve the condition of every man in tho 
country; because they must consider how, by the bene¬ 
ficial action of commerce, improvement in any one branch 
of industry contributed to the advantage of all. No 
doubt when great discoveries and inventions were 
made, those whose enterprise and skill and knowledge 
had achieved the improvements obtained the first and 
largest reward; but it was impossible in the nature of 
things that the reward which they derived from their 
exertion should not extend to the community by whom 
they were surrounded. It was the world at large which 
benefited by the improvement in physical science, and it 
was the advancement of physical science that the College 
was calculated to promote. ,But though that was a 
tempting field for discussion, it was far too extensive for 
him to enter upon at that time, and he could only, say 
that while the College was most deserving of their sup¬ 
port upon the grounds which he had stated, the toast of 
success to it was most fittingly coupled with the health 
of Sir William Armstrong. The name of Sir William 
had a European, or rather a world-wide celebrity for the 
success with which he had applied physical science to 
useful productions,—not only in regard to those fearful 
instruments of destruction with which his name was so 
closely associated, but what was, he felt, of far more im¬ 
portance, to a variety of machinery and contrivances of 
the utmost value for supplying the wants of mankind. 
The example and success of Sir William Armstrong were 
the strongest encouragement that could be given to the 
youth who would attend the College which had now been 
founded. 
The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm and with 
xall the customary honours. 
The Chairman, in responding, said he felt great diffi¬ 
culty in reconciling the prominence of his position at 
that table with the absence of prominence in the ser¬ 
vices which he had rendered to the institution which 
had that day been inaugurated. Ho was but one ot a 
large committee which had devoted its labours to the 
promotion of the undertaking, and whatever thanks 
were due in respect of those labours were duo to the 
