ADDRESS OF SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON. 
xlix 
children. To stimulate the living, not less than to leave a record to 
the unborn, was hoped for, and will be attained, through those novel 
and important productions. In holding up to us a view of the existing 
state of science, and of all that has been done already, they show us 
that much is still to be done, and they rouse our zeal to do it. Can 
any person look unmoved on the tablet which they present of the bril¬ 
liant discoveries of this century, in any one of the regions of science ? 
Can he see how much has been achieved, what large and orderly struc¬ 
tures have been in part already built up, and are still in process of 
building, without feeling himself excited to give his own aid also in the 
work, and to be enrolled among the architects, or at least among the 
workmen ? or can any person have his attention guided to the many 
wants that remain, can he look on the gaps which are still unfilled, 
even in the most rich and costly of those edifices (like the unfinished 
window that we read of in the palace of eastern story), without longing 
to see those wants supplied, that palace raised to a still more complete 
perfection ; without burning to draw forth all his own old treasures of 
thought, and to elaborate them all into one new and precious offering ? 
—The volume containing the reports which were presented at the last 
meeting of the Association has been published so very recently, that 
it is perhaps scarcely yet in the hands of more than a few of the mem¬ 
bers ; some notice of its contents may therefore be expected from me 
now, though the notice which I can give must of necessity be brief and 
inadequate. I shall speak first of two reports, which may in a certain 
sense be said to be on foreign science. Science, indeed, as has been 
well remarked, is not properly of any country; but men of science are, 
and in studying the works of their brethren of foreign nations, they at 
once increase their own stock of knowledge, and cultivate those kindly 
feelings of general good will, which are among the very best results of 
all our studies, and of all our assemblings together. The first report of 
the volume is that which Professor Rogers, of Philadelphia, has pre¬ 
sented, at the request of the British Association, upon American Geo¬ 
logy. The kindness of an eminent British Geologist, whose name 
would command attention if I thought myself at liberty to mention it, 
and whom I had requested to state to me in writing his opinion on this 
report, enables me to furnish you with a notice respecting its nature, 
which I shall accordingly read, instead of presuming to substitute any 
remarks of my own on the subject. 
“ The object proposed by Professor Rogers was to convey a clear 
summary of what had been ascertained concerning the geology of 
America, whether the knowledge acquired had been communicated to 
the public or not. This is not very different from the object contem- 
