S8 ADDRESS TO THE GRADUATES OP THE 
amidst the burning sands of deserted Egypt, and enabled 
him to proclaim the true signification of the hieroglyphical 
records. These are but a few bright and illustrious exam- 
ples. In every branch of science, moral, speculative and 
natural, many, almost innumerable, others might be in- 
stanced. 
But I must not wander beyond the domain of our own 
peculiar department, as it affords us ample room for illus- 
tration. What applies to the exercise of the more exalted 
gifts of understanding, and the most striking objects of in- 
vestigation, applies equally to less eminent endowments, 
and to subjects that are less notable. The history of Phar- 
macy, from the period at which the Alexandrian school 
existed, when it was erected into a distinct branch of medical 
science, to the present time, is teeming with the evidence 
by which our declarations may be sustained. I need not 
detail the stages of its advancement, or indicate the steps 
in the course of progress that have contributed to place it 
on its present footing; the bare mention of the names of 
Gaubius, of Glauber, of Silvius, and Lemery, of Gay Lussac, 
and Vauquelin ; and in our own day of Derosne, of Pelle- 
tier, and Caventou, of Guibourt, and Virey, and many, 
very many others, will bring at once into the memory the 
vast array of services they havo rendered to it. 
Yet this ardour in the cause of pharmacy has not been 
confined to our transatlantic brethren. Their spirit has 
been shed abroad, and we have been benefitted by its diffu- 
sion. Trace the progress of the science in our own country, 
and it will be found that the same efficient principles have 
been in operation. Look at the improvements that have 
been introduced on every side, at the efforts that have been 
made to extend and increase information, to elevate the 
standard of proficiency, to present the means of education, 
and preparation for its practical duties; and conviction 
must follow that carelessness and indifference to our own 
well being have not restricted our endeavours. And who 
