THE UTILITY OF NATURAL SCIENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 264, 24 October 1862, Page 5

THE UTILITY OF NATURAL SCIENCE.

A LECTURE DELIVERED TO THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, BY DR. HECTOR, GOVERNMENT GEOLOGIST. TnE subject upon which I have to address youths evening, is the utility of the Science of Natural History, as distinguished from other kinds of science. I was quite aware when I undertook this subject that f was choosing oft' trodden ground, and moreover that in the course of last session this Association received an eloquent address having a very similar title from my friend Dr. Lander Lindsay. Nevertheless, it seems to me, the subject of the true position and use of Natural History is in most cases, only adopted as a skeleton frame upon which the lecturer may have an opportunity of displaying entertaining illustrations and charming scientific anecdotes. As the result of this, the subject matter of the title is hardly alluded to in the lecture, but is passed over as, of secondary importance, and instead of Natural History being advanced by the skilful tactics of the lecturer, to its proper place, in the van guard of science, an inferior and humble position is accepted for it. It is quite a common course to admit that naturalists are occupied solely with the collection, describing and classifying of the various animals, plants and minerals, and provided that apt illustrations can be adduced of bow his technical results are sometimes of high utilitarian value, it is considered that a sufficient reason is thereby shown for ranking their pursuits as useful. ■•• But may not this style of argument in favor of Natural History be urged, though perhaps not with equal force, in behalf of any other branch of human knowledge or industry. Addressing you as young men associated for the purpose of self-improvement and mental culture. I shall however endeavor to show that the practical study of some branch or other of Natural History, is imperatively necessary for those who would seek to cultivate all the different faculties with which they are endowed ; and that there is a benefit to be looked for in that study, thai: is in a great, measure independent of the intriusic value of the information received But before entering on the consideration of the claims of Natural History science, 1 must first prepare the way by recalling to your minds the exact value to be attached to the term science itself. You are aware that this word lias been gradually loosing its original distinct axid emphatic meaning, but <o which I shall presently revert, for a hazy and indffmite application to everything that relates to experiments, that are performed with difficulty, or to speculative researches that require a vast amount of study and assiduity to understand. Jn the minds of many, the idea of science is inseparably associated with the use of telescopes, microscopes, chemical, and other complicated apparatus, comprised in the armory of the philosophic investigator.

Indeed the pursuits of science are considered so fa" removed from the affairs of eveiy-day life, that were it not tfiat great practical results flowing from thsm can be pointed to in our railways, telegraphs, and other familiar examples, the scientific philosopher would still. I fear, be defined by many in the homely language of Adam Smith "as one whose trade it is to do nothing, and speculate upon everything. Thn true meaning of science, however, is simply knowledge, or more properly skill of any kind whatever; it embraces what is complex and ahtruse without doubt, but. it includes also that which is simple and familiar to all. The possession of science or skill is peculiar to the human race, as it can only be acquired by means of those higher mental qualities which apparently are the only instruments for reacting on nature, furnished to man without being also shared by the lower animals. ' When I say that the intellectual powers form the only distinguishing'mark-of the human species, I ! speak merely of the instruments with which Divine wisdom has supplied him for carrying on the struggle for existence. I do not for a moment overlook the great and distinguishing atribute of mankind, the possession of which overwhelms all other differences, and places the human race on a stand-ground distinct from all other creatures ; namely,' the Jiving and immortal soul, that element in the nature of man which is the mainspring of human progress. But the soul, however clearly its influence may be established in the mind of every right thinking person, not only by Divine revelation, but also by the analysis of his own concsiousness, is not properly speaking a means whereby we can react on external nature. It manifests its influence itf that constant craving for improvement in condition, and in that aspiration after higher and nobler objects, the capacity for which exists among all races of mankind although the active desire is dormant in those which are lowest and most degraded in their habits. Yet no race of men have ever been discovered who do not possess the idea of theexistence of a Power controlling their circumstances, whose wrath they deprecate, and whose favour they seek. But when we turn to the structure and:-vital, characters of man, excepting in the possession of his intellectual powers, we can find no other essential character by which he is clearly dissevered from the great chain of cseated things. Difference there is, but it is of kind and degree, such, and only such, as distinguishes one animal from another. For the plan of his bodily structure is the same, and his various bones, muscles, nerves, brain, and other organs, are all formed after the same-frsbion as those in the lower animals, all being formed according to thetne grand general plan or type common to the : whole of animated nature. - -

I dare say some of you at least have watched with interest the Gorilla question, which was an offthoot trom the general discussion which has of late convulsed the thinkers, writers, and talkers consequent upon the publication of Darwin's views regarding the ■nigin of tin-species of plants and animals. Anatomists of high standing differed about the existence of certain points of bodily structure in which this ape was supposed to resemble man more than any other animal noes, and the distinctions urged on either side were so dthcate and subtle that I believe the question must be considered as settled, at least to ibis extent, that it is not in anatomical stiucture where the break is to bs louml, by wLiKh man has been separated from-other created things, even by a greater gulf than that which separates a worm from a dog. To those unacquainted with anatomical details it may have seemed as if the momentous question was at issue of whether the monkey is a man, or whether man is only a kind of monkey, but that was by no means the point at issue. There is no anatomist who could for a moment doubt the reality of the marked difterence between the lower faces of man and the highest grate manifested in his intelligence of the inferior animals. But is this undoubted mental peculiarity due to the existence of any organ or bodily structure also peculiar to man, and which may be referred to as the cause for or seat ot his intellectual powers ? Or on the other hind a<-e we to consider the^e intellectual powers assuperadded oy the Creator to a frame which in no essential respect differs from that of the lower animals. It is a question, however, which involves no necessary element of difference, and neither view would disaccord with the wisely vague statement of inspiration that • bod breathed in!o man's nostrils the breath of life and nvide of him a living soul." In either case, ar in all these questions involving cause and effect I am sure! need not tell you that the existence of the creating power will only become more clearly established, the closer that man can pry into secrets of how it was exercised. With the soul inciting and stimulating to progress, it is by the means of that noble instrument, his intellect, that man acquires that science or skill by which he maintains an active and control ling influence far beyond that exercised by any other of God's creatures, but yet at the same time remaining truly subject to-physical nature, against the appointed laws of which ha may not transgress with impunity more than the meanest worm.

It is hardly necessary for me to remind you that without the skill which he thus acquires, how helpless and degraded, nay, almost impossible would be man's existence un-.-ier the present state of things. By nature he is provided with none of those gifts which mike other animals formidable or powerful in the struggle for existence cither against other animals or against the natural agencies which tend to destroy animal life. Take, for instance, his means of subsistence as a ft-eckr on vegetables. His digestive or-rans are only suited for fruit and se^ds or' other concentrated an:! nourishing forms of vegetable diet, but in those tropical countries where alone he could procure such food throughout the year, he eoird not for instar.ee if devoid of reason, compete with the monkey tribes which are by nature so well suited for arboreal life by their powerful structure and gra. plug fet't.

_If lie turn to rank as a flesh-cater, for which hi? digestive organs are also suited, how could he compete with tlie ravenous beasts of prey, being neither furnished with weapons of offence or defence, with speed to capture, or with natural instincts by which to entrap. The state to which man would be reduced i deprived of his intellectual faculties has been described by the master hand of Sir John Herschel in the following manner : -fC Of all creatures the most destitute and miserable he wouid be distracted by terror and goaded by famine ; driven by the most abject expe Hence for concealment from" his enemirs, ami to the most cowardly devices for the seizure and destruction of his nobler prey. This existence would bu one continued subterfuge or stratagem, his dwelling would be in the dens of the earth, in clefts o ro'.-ks, or in hollows of trees, his food, -worms and the lower reptiles, or such few and crude productions <=f th« soil as his organs could be brought to assimilate, varied with occasional relics mangled by more powerful beasts oi prey or contemned by their more pampered choice."

Remarkable only for the absence of those powers and qualities which obtain for other animals a degree of security and respect, he wouid be disregarded by some and hunted down by others till after a few generations his species would become altogether extinct, or at best would be restricted to a few islands in tropical regions vrJiere the warmth of the climate, the paucity of enemies, and abundance of vegetable food might permit it to linger." Such would be the state of man according to one of our most profound thinkers, were it not for the science or skill which he accumulates by the use of his reason, and which converts him into tlie lord of creation. He is undoubtedly the strongest and most powerful of his fellow cveatures, either for good or harm, recording to whether he is incited to action by a regenerate or degraded soulWith the lower races of mankind all their skill is exercised for immediato practical ends - to light a fire, to construct a weapon of offence, or to contrive a shelter from the inclemency of the seasons, are all truly skilful processes by means of which, and a few others, Eavage tribes have been able to adapt their existence to all the varied conditions, from the equator almost to the pole. But the search after that which is immediately useful begets a desire for increased acquisitions which when once awakened, "grows by what it feeds on." and without other external slimulus than the presentation of objects on which it may be exercised, the human intellect proceeds rapidly to advance in the conquering march over the fair field of nature, and if aided by revelations can attain to that high state of mental development which is characteristic of Christianity. The instrument used is the same throughout, intellect, reasoning power, or common sense, whichever we choose to call it. These are no mystical faculties or mental processes otber than those u«ed every day and in the humblest offices of life, required for stepping in the highest paths of science. The man of science, in fact, simplyuses with scrupulous exactness the same methods which we all use. carelessly and a* every moment, and the man of busir.essmust beastrulyastudenfofscientific methods, must be as truly a man of science as any of the greatest conquerors on the field of nature. These are trite reflections and familiar I have no doubt to most of you, but I trust that they have secured my object, which was to show that science has a simple but essential relation to all of you, and that its methods cannot be neglected by you, or taken up only as a relaxation and excluded from the ordinary affairs of life. Having now placed before you the term science in this wide yet familiar sense, 1 will now proceed in my endeavor to point out the particular science or skill which may be derived from the pursuit of Natural History, and the uses to whi'-h it may be practically applied. The proper sphere of Natural History is the contemplation of the changes which have been wrought on the face of the globe by the operation of the fixed and unalterable natural laws or ordinauces of Divine wisdom. The investigation of these laws themselves isthe province of the mathematician physicist and chemist, but they contemplate things as at rest, and look upon a state of equilibrium as the normal condition of all bodies! The forces they have to denl with are active only in thn presence of a disturbing influence. The Mathematician cannot suppose that a quantity will alter or a given point in space change its position with regard to other points, spontaneously. The heavenly bodies roll in their appointed paths, subject to a Jaw which he cannot conceive to vary without the influence of a disturbing cause. Thua, when it. became evident to Astronomers, that the planet Uranus did not conform to the path, which according to their catenations.- it should have followed through the Heavens, they did not rest satisfied, and conclude that thi; was due to any spontaneous motion of its own. They felt: certain that there must be a cause for the exception, and two geometers by indenendenderit calculations were able to direct the practical Astronomer to the exact time and place in the Heavens, where he would find the'disturbing cause in a planet, the existence of which was at that time qmte unknown. On directing his telescope to the spot at the right time, the planet Neptune was discovered, almost in the exact spot that had been foretold, and the uniformity of the general law thereby maintained

Newton discovered the law of gravity, when he viewed the fall of the apple in its proper light,-and instead of considering it due to any power inherent in the apple itself, concluded that it arose from the disturbance of a nicely adjusted balance of forces by which, the apple had been sustained in a etate of rest, and by the operation of. which it was again at rest j when reaching the ground. In the same way the most energy tic or prolonged! chemical changes are all due to something external to the body changed. When we mix carbonate of soda and acid, as in a common Seidlitz powder, we get a violent action by mixing two inert substances, but we have merely here disturbed a balance, just as when we swing a pendulum, for when the force is expended, we ge; a compound equally inert and persistent as in either of the original bodies, so long as the surrounding circumstances remain the same. Again, if we place a piece of flesh,-or dead, vegetable, matter in. water, many chemical changes are the result, which are known to us as putrefaction. These may extend over an immense lapse of time, in the course of winch many new compounds are formed, and again destroyed, but the final result is the decomposition of the highly organised substance, and when it ha» been restored to its original elements, all action* ceases, and a state of rest is resumed., ..:.■- ■,

But when we turn to the Phenomena of Life, how changed is thp aspect of nature., Here incessant change, and so far as we know, spontaneous change is the rule, rest the exception, ana the anomaly to be

3 , • •?■ lmu" Ihhl^ ilave "0 inertia, and tend -to™; equilibrium. Suppose we take an atom of lmng flesh matter, which chemically cannot be distinguished from that in the previous illustration, thus .or instance one of the gelatinous Monads which throng our pools and streams, and place itm the same condnions, and how immense is the difference in the phenomena. It is a round mass or"-rccuish jelly and "Presents no appreciable chemical or physical diliereHco whereby it may be distinguished from from a particle of .lead flesh matter; yet it displays a vast, amount of physical force as compared to its bulk-clearing-the water rapidly in all directions. It absorbs nutnment from the surrounding medium, and throws off eiFete mailer from its own body It increases in size, alters its form and shape, divides and sub-dmdes, giving rise to multitudes of living creatures the same as jt?elf,—but all this only so lon* -is the surrounding conditions remain the same. Any such disturbance as would be essential to the display of phj'sical or chemical force, wmld tend to destroy the power which the living atom has of inherent and spontaneous action.

If. for instance, we had boiled the water which contained the Infusorial Animals, we mi»ht, by means of the steam which arose, obtain a certain amount of force, but when the water was expended, or the fuel burnt the force would cease, and the surroimdinobodies would revert to their original slats of rest! But by boiling the water we would destroy these minut 3 monads, which, h id- th°y ccmtiuuod to live ami p-ooajrate, mi-ht in time achieve evc-r-continuing alterations 021 the surface oi the globe, in magnitude far beyond any of our puny efforts. Thus it is of the remains of animals no higher iv the scale of life, tlwu these monads, that the sto::e is formed of which the Pyramids of Epypt, and the greater part of the city ot Pans have been built, and of which, in a "reit measure, the immense deposits of white chalk are composed, which by offering a breastwork to the sea have proved to us the & E. corner of En ; ''ar,d At the present day, their remains are cliunV.,./ r j VOl . courses and destroying harbors in many pr.rts'of the world, how the.se infusorial mona is are the tvoe of all living things, that by their incessant and cp O n:-i----neous action disturb the higher and vieiJ i.hvVal laws, and so produce a succession of chanires on the tace ot the globe, to describe which is one of the olcces of Natural History. But the onward change which has been efiec'ed by animal and vegetable life has been, without doubt accompanied, au«!, to a great extent, dependent unon secular changes in the condition of the siiriju-e of the globe itself; regarding the cause of which we -ire -it present ignorant, at lenst they have not as vet been identified with the operation of nay of the known physical laws, although several ingenious th"or:?s have been sugi-citeil, such as thf gradual conJiVof our planet troui aa incandescent .state, or to i«lian»c* in its position with regard to other heave'ilv !x>d:e • but ntfne of these have as yet l* ou aeeqncA as satis'laatory. These socularchanges, evimwdibv the <'ra<!u-u change in the relative portion: of sc-a "and Irnl '<■', companies by succossivfi but local and <'.iiniri'-suivMv short cndurnifr displays of volcanic energy IMI within the province of tieoln-ry. ,m<\ e-mstitut-i tin- mWr preat chapter m the Natural History of our earth In other wouls, acoor,!m X i 0 this view,' Natural Jffc.! Tory should deal with the various ,sleps i,y which Divine Omiiipotenoe has given to tho enrlli Hip varied outline of sea and 1 nid, the genial climntps the abundant mineral wealth and bountiful d.^rib.ubn of ••,„• mal ami viable life, all of which combi:,* to niakj •t a fit field for the exercise of man's intolir-etiial powers. Natural Hi^iry is, throve, a y.ist and continually extending sphore of r^^an-lj The -uochi studies of the Zoologist, Bolar:isf. and' Oolo^t '-ill contribute tiie"e!eiuents of deindnstraJion by the description iiud elassifieaiion cf nntnval obj^cls' \o single man can hope to grasp the details of all 'these sections of knowicd-e, any one of-.vlneh, ifiiursue-l to its fullest extent, would moro tb:ui o«^iu)y a lifetime. JiutUisuot ne"<'ssarythat wo should all be B-»ta-nisw, Zoologists, or Geologists, as the priiiciijles which pervade all those branches of knowledge arc the same and it is these principles which embody tint s»i»nce or intellectual skill we may dorivo from the study of Natural History. # The skill is not the technical knowledge, but lies m the power or abililv of acouir inpf it, and that can only be attaine<l by exercising our facuities of observation and comparison upon natural objects. No other study but Natural His tory m some form or other can begtt that ability, or yield opportunities for exercising arisbt the powers ot observation and comparison; and "this is because ot that element in the nature of all livin" things which is unaccountable to us, arising from their power of independent action. So long as we deal with things which we can count, measure, and weigh the deductions are rigid, and leave no room for the* exercise of judgment founded on comparative observation. In the training of tho mind, studies that lead to such exact deductions are absolutely necessary that we maybe thoronghly equipped wirh the methods used in the every-day business of life. But the phenomena we have mostly to deal with have no such exact element. We eanuot count on the actions of our fellow men, for instance, nor can we reduce them to any invariable system or rule ; so that our .success in life will depend almost entirely on the decree "to which the faculty of compulsive observation has been exercised.

We can hardly appreciate too highly the advantages which may be derived from a judicious course of natural study, engendering as it does, habits of ! enlarged observation, of discriminntion of closely allied objects, and of perceiving al a glance the proper grounds of physical truth—the cxeirise, in short, of those faculties which are involved in a comprehensive power of comparison and rigid logical induction. But perhaps, above all, it is for training in the principles of philosophical classification that Natural History affords tlie great and almost exclusive school. In estimating the more purely practical tendencies of this classifying power, it should not be forgotten that (Juvier and Humboldt were statesmen as well as naturalists, and that it has been stated by high authorities that, had it not been for the ex<unp*!e and method of Natural History classification, the science of codifying, or the philosophic construction of the laws of a country could nevi1 have arisen. It is unfortunate, under the ordinary system of education, that the exercise of comparative "observation is usually commenced for the first time when the pupil enters upon active life, and has to first use his judgmeut npon a class of phenomena the most complex and difficult that arc to be met with. Still it is truly a study of Natural History—the object being our own species. How much more easy would the exercise be if the pupil had undergone previous discipline with phenomena similar in character but less complex in their nature, and by which, like blunted foils to the fencer, he might acquire the skill without risking- a fatal injury from his own mistake?. Such a training-ground, T maintain, is only offered by the various branches of Natural History, in the acquirements of which lies the simplest, easiest, and most beneficial manner of cultivating the observing powers. In the usual system, of education, chief attention.is paid to the maturing and training of the memory, the reasoning powers, and taste. Comparative observation, a faculty upon tbe correct exercise of which Ihe value of all the others must in a great measure depeud, is generally neglected or even entirely ignored. Yet, to observe truly, to note accurately, and to estimate correctly the value of evidence, are surely qualities of essential importance to the "well-being and future prospects of every youth. These are not, however, to he acquired by mere abstract study of Natural History from books or by listening to lectures. J3efore these can have their proper effect, the mind must first be stored with correct images of natural objects, and with the names and habits of the living creatures which surround us. But these may be taught with advantage to the youngest child ; indeed the avidity of children for this kind of knowledge, aud the comparative ease with which they retain it, is something quite marvellous.

The late Edward Forbes spoke strongly against the exclusion of Natural History from a rudimentary course of education. "Animals, plants, and minerals," he said in a lecture on the subject, "are collected by the schoolboy, who delights to note their shape and qualities, and rudely to compare .and classify." But the thirst for natural knowledge thus earlyand unmistakeably manifested is rudely quenched by unpalatable draughts of scholastic lore, adtninistere/1 too often by a tasteless pedagogue, who, blind to 'the* indications of a true course of education, thus plainly pointed out by the human nature developing itself according to the laws of its own God-given constitution ; prunes, and trims, biuds and cramps the youthful intellect into traditional and fantastic shapes even as gardeners of a past age tortured shrubs and trees into monstrous outlines*; vainly fancying.to.improve their aspect, arresting the growth'of the spreading boughs and the budding of the clustering foliage, mistaking an unhealthy formality for beauty.' This was written ten years ago on the opening of the British School of Minds, and since then great improvement has been introduced by making Natural History a usual branch of education. Much still, however, remains to foe done in the way of making its study take the form of a strengthening exercise to the mind, and not allowing it to pass as a kind of intellectual recreation. The stress which is now laid upon a knowledge of natural history in the public examinations for civil , ami military service vail, I have no doubt, tend to remedy this evil: and the day is not far distant when every student will be required to educate his observing pow-ers through the agency of these delightful branches of- stady. To regard science in a mystical light, and to learn its wonders without an effort, and without a pi actical acquaintance with the objects ■which are referred to in zt« teachings, often.does positive harm to the mind not properly trainea,*by landling ideas without conception of the objects jjt&ej refer to, and so begetting a tone of mind nea^x-.^kia to the superstitious.

iSST^I^ .Weieit^techfticalknowt» K^te^^a^^H3^feent branch^ of i irSS^ 17:;1^ I'l^• JtOlif}ilfain 'thfj «« would'ho oi.n.yeajf.difi«-e O tJ<f4»,tJien the mon- facts we could cram liu^S^ °T he*l! hG g^'fcerwoukl be-our skill I }'««p*uiriß -But such is not so. There are compa air.^tiv^y few respects in which we can consider that the ny.teawti of any branch of Natural History are of imn >. /perafve consequence as information to the great mass of mankind. Amidst the varied'cnllings o? civi»i»-d lite, there are only a few of us wluwe pleasant lot Hi', irom choice or circumstance, to make a business of Natural History, and to seek out the treasures' of r»aturebythe aid of science for the benefit of our felJow-men. m In the course of this address, I have endeavored to »"?P*e*s upon you those claims which render the study of .Natural History worthy of your sedulous application,principally onJaccount of the methods which it lavolves. 1 have confined myself to this line of argument, as In m well aware tJ>acin a young and flourishing colony like this, the advancement of which will depend so much on the proper knowledge of it? natural productions, it is quite unnecessary to point out the advantages of an acquaintance with the l'esults of Natural History. It is not here, as is the case in old and fuliy settled countries, where it sometimes does require a considerable amount of ingenuity to convince a person that it is of importunes that he should know the value and uses of the natural objects which surround him. But here every one looks to the bounties of nature, in some form or other, as a source from which, without treading in any beaten path of experience, he may expect to derive an advantage for himself. The danger here is not likely to arise from apathy to science, but from being over hasty to be led by false science. .Those who flatter themselves that they are not wanting in the thiiNt for information, should remember that it is all the more necessary that they shonld have a balanced judgemnt. and trained skill/so as to avoid arrors from rashness. There are many subjects of the greatest importance tojtne future prospectsof this colony, which can only be investigated by the united but careful labors of many observers. For example, this is essentially a pastoral country ; and, in addition U> all its go'den prospects, I consider it has a solid ana sure basis for future prosperity in the wonderful manner in which it has been suited by nature for the growth of wool, and for the developsm°rit of its industrial manufactures. The rich pasturage extending even to high altitudes, the uniformity of the climate, and the proximity of every part to the influence of the sea air, are all circumstances wfll-known to be favourable to the growth of wool ; while the other resources of the colony will be equally favourable to manufacturing interests when the country is .stocked with inhabitants. If the g»ld-fields and other advantages which it holds out once attract a permanent population to New Zealand, as they h ye done to California and Australia, the limited extent of this colony will prove in one sente a great advantage over those territories ■which have si greater range and a less decided boundary, as it will promote, or rather compel, that concentration of industry which is the foundation of greatness and power in all nations. J3ut on the other hand, its limited extent is at first sight a complete bar to any extensive development of its capabilities lor raising wool. And so it undoubtedly is but the extent to which this capability may be extended before it reaches its limit, is apt to be much moderated by considering the pasture to at present have its permanent, form and value. But, we must remember, ■with respect to New Zealand, that it was previously a country devoid of wild animals, which, like flocks and herds, would favor the selection and diffusion of certain species of plants, as has hem effected previous tSru time of settleuient in other new countries. Wien, therefore, sheep or cattle are turned out on virgin pasture like thnt in this country, great changes may be expected to take place in the proportional number and growth of the different plants ■which compose it. This is quite in accordance with what has already been observed. Every owner of flocks and herds in the country may testify that a change does take place in the nature of the pasture : but can any one tell the order or law of that change— what plants and grasses flourish, and what kinds disappear, or give any clue to the manner by $hich changes are effected; Many will give opinions, no doubt, and will attribute it all to the fires, or to a change of climate, or only to th" trnmplin" and cropping of it by the stock. But exact observation on this matter is not merely idle curiosity, but may lead to very practical results, by showing the correct way by which the natural pasturage should be nurtured and husbanderl, and so enabled to carry a much larger proportion of stock than could be at present imagined possible. The kind of observation is simple, the qualified observers many, and the results very important. Let them set to work, therefore, and gather facts respectthis from year to year,— and experimenting, if they can, and in time they will reap a harvest of profit from this true scientific method. In roncluding this addresss, which I fear has assumed rather more of an abstract and tedious form than I intended, I beg to state that. I claim no originality for tl c views I have endeavored to expound, respecting the position which Natural History science should occupy with relation to other branches of human knowledge. They are to be found scattered through the works of many profound thinkers, whose thoughts I have not scrupled to adopt, in order to place one of the noblest departments of knowledge before you, in the true logical position which it should occupy. If I have succeeded in .showing that there are sound reasons why Natural History should not be treated merely as a recreation and plaything, but that its pursuits are not only fitted for the highest exercise of our intellectual powers, but also worthy of being employed as a safe and powerful means of education. I shall have accomplished a task which, I set for myself. At the next opportunity which I trust I shall have of addressing you, I hope to be able to bring before you some of the results of the science of Natural History applied to the ehici lation of the Geology of this Province,—a subject the discussion of which will, I am sure, be most interesting to you.