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A. LEOTUJIE, 
 
 ON THE AIMS AMD USEFULNESS OF 
 
 MECHANICS' INSTITUTES 
 
 DELIVERED ON THE OFENINO OF THE 
 
 OEILLIA MECHANICS INSTITUTE, 
 
 DECEMBER, 1864, 
 
 BY JAMES DALLAS, ESQUIRE, 
 
 ^^'i "^^ 
 
 PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. 
 
 PRINTED BY D. CREW, AT THE ADVANCE OFFICE, DUNLOP ST. 
 
 1835. 
 
■ 
 
 i.e'1 
 
 
 A LECTURE, 
 
 ON THE AIMS AND USEFULNESS OF 
 
 MECHANICS' INSTITUTES 
 
 DELIVEKED ON TIIK OPENING OF TUE 
 
 ORILLIA MECHAIICS IISTITFTE, 
 
 DECEMBER, 1864, 
 
 BY JAMES DALLAS, ESQUIRE, 
 
 PRESIDENT OP THE INSTITUTE. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. 
 
 ife 
 
 PRTXTED BY D. CREW, AT THE ADVANCE OFFICE. DUNLOP ST. 
 
 xses. 
 
/- ixt.<i 
 
i.3?^oturit;. 
 
 Ii seems to be very desirable that, at the opening of a new 
 institution, such as the Mechanics' Institute of Onllia, some 
 remarks of a general character should be offered, relative' to the 
 design of such an Institution, and the manner in which it 
 ought to be carried out, in order to produce the greatest amount 
 of practical benefit; and this previous to the commencement 
 of a series of lectures on topics fitted to illustrate science, and 
 afford general information. 
 
 It would have been gratifying to me, had the task fallen upon 
 one fitted by talents and scientific atfainments to have done 
 justice to the greatness of the subject, and its importance to the 
 community. 
 
 The question then pres'Mits itself, how shall the great 
 purposes of our Institirtion be best worked out 1 I wr uld reply, 
 by as many good and valuable lectures as we can obtain, and by 
 the establishment of a Library of choice books. Living in this 
 distant part of a vast country, what enecuragement have we in 
 the procuring of lectures ? Yes! In this remote spot we ix)ssess 
 I believe within ourselves no small amount of talent, and of 
 that high education which unquestionably fits a man for a 
 task of the kind. I have listened on more than dne occassion 
 with pleasure to interesting lectures, particularly to those de- 
 livered by Dr. Ardagh ; but I must be silent in the way of 
 praise; as I believe by doing so, I shall best comply with Dr. 
 Ardogh's wishes. Many however heard those lectures as well 
 
I.ECTURR. 
 
 as I did, ami will join mo in congratnlution on the pros|)ect wo 
 have of again listening to the eloquent lei'turer. Wo have 
 happily amongst us other gentlemen belonging to the learned 
 professions, whoso education and habits u( composition will 
 render the task of lecturing comparatively easy ; and who, T 
 doubt not, will cheerfully assist us in this way. There is a 
 prosf)ect also of some aid from distant parts of the province. 
 
 The intention is, to have those lectures delivered once a fort- 
 night until the end of March, t'.iOiigh I do not see myself why 
 there might not be one occasionally during the summer. The 
 winter of course is the season most fitted for the promoting of 
 general knowledge in this way. Our great auxiliary — an indis- 
 pensable one I think — is the library. I am glad to say, that a 
 few excellent volumes have already been presented to our 
 library; and it would much assist us, wcie this example to bo 
 followed by otheis. There is no need for particularly specifying 
 the subjects on which we should desire to be furnished with 
 books. Whatever work is calculated to give general information, 
 and to be useful, will be acceptable. I might just say, that 
 works on Science, Mechanics, History, Travels, Biography, 
 Geography, and the higher educational works, are particularly 
 adapteil to our purpose. 
 
 I shall not attempt to give you a history of the rise and pro- 
 gress of Mechanics' Institutes, and the development of those 
 mighty improvements in their extension and usefulness, which 
 could only be sup[)lied by a poison intimately acquainted with 
 the subject. J shall leave this to one, who, T believe, is able to 
 do justice to the task. 
 
 I shall just advert to the origin of those Institutions. The 
 designation ilselt evidently points out the intention of its 
 founders. It was to give that valuable class of men, the 
 Mchauics ol Great Britain the means of improving themselves 
 in knowledge, not only of Mechanics as a whole, but also in 
 acquiring those branches of &^cienoe which were best fitted to 
 
LKCTURE. 
 
 o'evute llieir inin<ls, to ciillivalo their acqiiuiiilaiice with 
 Science, and to afford them genernl infurniulion. 
 
 It is now many years, Ihoiiyh I renieinber it well, since llcnry 
 lirougliam, with a hand of co-adjtilors, fornud ihe first Mchan- 
 ins' fnstitiito ; and at the same time established the dechanics* 
 Ma"azine. AUxal how lew of those excellent men are lefl! 
 ]iV<-iigham — the rhiU)So|>her, the Statesman, the Orator, seems 
 alone to survive, to witness the triumphs (>f those Iiistitnlions, 
 of which he was in a great measure tlie founder. 
 
 And here let nie pause, to offer my tribute of admiration 
 to tluit extraordint>.ry man. Possessed of high genius, the pro- 
 found Philosopher, and great Statesman, he now lives at an 
 adt'anced age, honored and respected, Jt is now more than 
 "twenty years since 1 was one tlay crossing Lake Simcoe on the 
 ice — approaching Thorah Island, 1 observed, witfi some wonder, 
 u tree iu the centre of the Island which rose to a ^'reat height 
 above all the trees by which it was surrounded —a giant among 
 giants. Such is Henry Brougham — a giant among the intel- 
 lectual giants of England. 
 
 Thus were the means afforded to many a generous youth to 
 become acquainted with the hight r walks of Science — to grasp 
 at attainments which otherwise he never could have reached. — 
 How must the youth, possessed of genius which had hitherto 
 lain dormant, just from wanting liiat with which such an in- 
 stitution supplies him, rejoice that his wishes are at last gratified. 
 He wanders with joy through the realms of Science. He 
 beholds the Heavens with a delight he never felt before: 
 Astronomy has enabled him to tell the names of the constel- 
 lations, and to marshall them in their order; Natural Philosophy 
 has been his instructor, and the works of the Creator stand out 
 before him, with a majesty and grandeur hitherto unknown. 
 Chemistry has exhibited h(r more than magic powers. The 
 ship which sr.ils against tlie wind and tide — the b'autifnl 
 engine with its attendant train, thai thimders through the 
 
6 
 
 i.F.nTimr. 
 
 Amcricaii forest — tlio electric flash, lluit leuvos the Sun fur 
 behiiul it in its ])r()g-ress, — these no hjiif^cr remain llio mysteries 
 which they tmee were. And so, on unci on, unci on, he «^oes in 
 his nohio progress, until ho attains u name iiiui a phice among 
 the great ones of the earth. Is this an imaginary picture that 
 I draw? By no means! One name flaslies npon me at this 
 moment. Ferguson the cehd)rated Astronomer, was u shepherd 
 boy. As he lay on the hill side, watching his flock, his eyes 
 was often directed to the starry heavens, or in the suhlimo 
 iangnage of Addison — 
 
 Tlio spnciniis firtiinrnpiit on liigli, 
 
 With ftll tlic l)liic t'tlioiTiil sky, 
 
 And spnnpU'd licnvons--fi sliiniiifj train — 
 
 Their gix'at Originul proclaim. 
 
 He traced night after night the position of the constellations,' 
 and watched the motions of the planets. Taking a small 
 piece of string, he tied knots npon it, so as to truce the j osition 
 of the stars and the changes of the planets. His next effort as 
 a boy, was to make a wooden clock, and in this he succeeded, 
 making it to keep time, and show the hours on its dial. IJy in- 
 domitable perseverance he rose to great eminence, and delivered 
 lectures on astronomy in presence of his Sovereign. 
 
 Well may we quote the beautiful lines of the poet : 
 
 How niftiiy a gem of purest ray serene 
 The dark unFtitlipmed cavoa of ocean ho ir ; 
 How m".iy a flower is born to biiisli unseen, 
 And waste its sweclnesson tlie desL-rt air! 
 
 There can be no doubt that not a few of the great engineer- 
 ing works of Britain, and perhaps this country, have been ex- 
 ecuted by men who have raised themselves to eminence, and 
 proved the benefactors of their country by their genius and 
 their untiring perseverance in the paths of Science. Richly, 
 therefore, have those noble minded men, who devoted them- 
 selves to llie raising the standard of Science amonij the 
 Mechanic, of Great Britain, been rewarded. Thank.s to the 
 
LIXTUriK. 
 
 T 
 
 froo iiistittilioiis tlml are our country's priilo, mil oiir comitry'i; 
 aaffty : such iiistanci's uro not rare. 
 
 Tlio cstalilisliiiu'iit. of Mcvluinics' liist/tii'("S desorvcs to bo 
 niiukod us oiio of tlio jjrouf. eras in llic history of fScii-ncc, I 
 rnij^'htsay in the history o( the' World. Wc know most certainly 
 thut tho tendency of these Institutions has hvcn to deveN>|i the 
 pen ins, and cncuiirai^e the perseverance of the Mechanic. Wo 
 Icnow iiHJst certainly that since they were estuhlishcd discoveries 
 und inventions have niade a progress unknown during any 
 [)revious period. Jl is true, wo canin)t tell how far those great 
 discoveritvs und inventions are to l)e altrihnted to Mechanics' 
 Instituli's. This is a prohleiii which no man can solve. I3ut 
 certainly, when we consider how eminently these Institutions 
 are calculated to spread Science lunongst a vast number of 
 people, we may, without |:resnmj)ti()n, attribute much of the 
 s[)lcndid success which has attended h^cience, tiiiring the last 
 half century, to the Mechanics' Institutes. 
 
 The original purpose of the Ibunders of the Mechanics' Insti- 
 tutes seemed to have bec'i accomplished, wlien the system of 
 lectures, and the establishment of libraries were adojited. But 
 such was Uio general interest taken in the Institutions — the 
 value of the lectures — tiie s[)read of general information — that 
 tlie Mechanics' Institutes Wi^'re found to be fitted for the [iro- 
 motion of kni)wledge to a much wiiier circle than was originally 
 intended, and in this way they became much more extensively 
 useful, and much more objects of general interest. 
 
 Whde we contemplati^ the more immediate L nefit that flow 
 from such Institutions, let us not forget the more remote, but 
 powerful way, in which they act upon a community — upon a 
 nation. The members of those societies are members of the 
 cimimnnity. You cannot raise the standard of education, of 
 knowledge, of intelligence among them, without powerfully 
 affecting those with whom such members associate ; so that in 
 fact, the iiatioo itself may be said in this way to participate in 
 the benefits that spring from these Institutions. 
 
r 
 
 8 
 
 LECTURt. 
 
 And now, if T am asked, what is the great and distinguishing 
 feature of such Institutions? the shcrt answer would be, the dif* 
 diffusion of Science. The word itself is simply knowledge; but,ii> 
 the course of tinit il came to have an understood meaning, und 
 to include within it'-, single designation many departments 
 of great importance. T believe it is ijot contended that the 
 divisions into which it is arranged can be very plainly or dis- 
 tinctly marked out. If in a popular way, I might be allowed 
 to describe them, I should say, that the word includes .Arith- 
 metic, Mathematics, Algebra, and Natural Phdosophy ; and this 
 latter, the noblest of all the Physical Sciences, comprehends 
 Chemistry, Geology, Mineralogy, Astronomy, and Natural 
 History ; and this latter again includes Botany and Zoology, 
 the knowledge of animals; Ornithology, history of Birds; 
 Amphibia, treating of animals belonging both to earth and 
 water ; Ichthyology, which treats* of Fishes; und Entomology, 
 which treats of Insects. 
 
 If such be the lis*; of subjects embraced by the word Science, 
 hov/ hopeless does the task appear of embracing them all? 
 Yet, il is astonishing what intellectual victories some men have 
 achieved on the field of Science ! sometimes, indeed, acquired 
 at the expense of health and even of life itself. 
 
 But it is most natural that a maa should follow such branches 
 as suit best with his own tastes, or accord with pursuits in life 
 which he chiefly intends to follow. " A little learning is a 
 dangerous thing — Drink deep, or taste not of the Pierian 
 Spring,^' says the poet ; and so indeed it is, if we permit il o 
 foster our pride and self conceit. Yet I cannot but think it 
 extremely desirable, that every man should at all times, and in 
 all places, add as much as he can to his stocic of general inlor- 
 mation. 
 
 Remember that education bears a far higher and wider 
 scope than is popularly understood. It is well, very well, that 
 all should be tausrht to read, write, and know how to count. 
 
LECTURE, 
 
 But after all, these are but the initials of education; they are 
 only the gates of knowledge. There is a lovely garden, en- 
 closed with a high wall — many and beautiful are the trees 
 which adorn it, and they are covered w ith golden fruit. There 
 is a door to this bef uteous grove, and it requires a key, without 
 which no man can pass. The garden is Science — the key is 
 simply that education which enables one to enter in and pluck 
 the golden fruit. 
 
 The statesman, the lawyer, the merchant, the artisan, must 
 each pass through a course ; each one diflierent from the other in 
 detail, yet each requires to be ihorougly educated in order to 
 do justice to his profi^ssion. You will see that reading enables 
 a man to acquire knowledge — writing, to communicate it; while 
 arithmetic is necessary to cairry on the business of life, as well 
 as being the foundation of the Physical Sciences. The 
 thoroughly educated man, as we may designate him, is he who, 
 by application to the higher branches of Science, and obtaining 
 a large share of general knowledge, distinguishes himself by 
 those attainments among his fellow men. I have often thought, 
 that although travelling in foreign countries is not designated 
 as a part of education, yet in opening up new sources of know- 
 ledge, and in removing prejudices, it is in fact a very high 
 and beneficial kind of training. This may be best appreciated 
 by conversing with those who have travelled. 
 
 While it is well known that o ir beloved Queen is a well 
 educated woman, may I inform you what was the education 
 given to an illustrious lady, cousin to the Queen, whose pre- 
 mature death led to the Throne being filled as it now is. The 
 education of the late Princess Charlotte of Wales consisted of 
 the English, Classical, French, German, and Italian languages ; 
 Arithmetic, Geography, Astronomy, the first six books of Euclid, 
 Algebra, Mechanics, along with the principles of Optics and 
 Perspective, the policy of Governments, and particularly the 
 principles of the Christian religion. What a noble description 
 is this of an educated woman ! 
 C 
 
10 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 To the young most especially are the objects and purposes of 
 Mchanics' Institutes vuhiable. In them particularly may a 
 foundation be laid for a life di°;tinguished for that devotion to 
 Science, that thirst for knowledge, and that honorable desire to 
 be useful to the world, which has, in so many instances, con- 
 ferred greut and lasting benefit on society. 
 
 There is however one danger, not to be lost sight of, and that 
 is a tendency to pride and vanity, which ought never to be the 
 case with the Student of Philo ophy. If he acquires more 
 knowledge than falls to the lot of his fellow men, he is brought 
 so much more into an acquaintance with the works of his 
 Creator, and this ought to teach him humility. Is there a more 
 illustrious name in the annals of Science than that of Newion ? 
 And yet Newton was remarkable for nothing more than for 
 modesty and humility. 
 
 How many wonderful objects and processes do we meet with 
 in our daily walk through life ! How many are the various 
 arts and manufactures invented by man! By what process, or 
 series of processes is the wool from the Sheep's back wrought 
 into the warm texture of our clothing ! How is the tissue of 
 the tiny worm converted into the rich and beautiful fabrics that 
 adorn a well dressed lady ! IIow is cotton, the production of 
 the earth, converted in»o r. cloth so useful and so generally 
 worn! How does Hemp, a similar pioduction, become a cable 
 for the shi[) of war, and form the cords by which its sails are 
 spread out to the breeze ! By what curious and most ingenious 
 process does the loom jiresent to us figures so varied, so pleas- 
 ing, so beautiful ! Canyon conceive of a mass of sand and 
 salt or flint stone, being c«)nverted into the beautiful and trans- 
 parent form of Glass? Can you tell the manner by which a 
 rough ore taken from the bowels of the earth, is made to flow 
 as a liquid, to become hard as adamant, and lo receive a polish 
 that vies with the mirror in brightness? How can we account 
 for a mass of charcoal, sulphur, and saltpetre, each so powerless 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 11 
 
 ill itself, rending asunder tlie solid rock — throwing projectiles of 
 death for miles, and producing a total change in the mode of 
 warfare through the wide extent of a world? 
 
 What do you know of that i xqnisite system of bones and 
 muscle — nerves and sinews — brain and heart — with other of the 
 great organs which compose the human body — a system so 
 marvellous, dis[>laying so powerfully the work of an Almighty 
 hand, as to make us say with the iloyal Psalmist, " We are 
 fearfully and wonderfully made"? 
 
 Truly has it been said, that man left to himself, is the mo^t 
 helpless of all animals! How many hands have been employed 
 in the forming of the clothes which you wear! And how many 
 inventions of your predecessors are contributing to your present 
 comfort. By knowledge man stands pre-eminently dis- 
 tinguished in the creation. The illustrious Bacon has truly 
 said, " Knowledge is power"! Every object by which you are 
 surrounded is a subject for the exercise of your talents. There 
 is in fact no object in nature that does not, when rightly viewed 
 and properly investigated, lead us to admire, adore, and praise 
 that great Being, who with matchless wisdom, unbounded bene- 
 volence, and transcendent gresitness, guides, governs, and pre- 
 serves his creatures. AVe ore led from Nature up to Nature's 
 God! When we hear the dread Artillery of Heaven — when 
 we are dazzled with the lightning's flash — when the raging 
 storm sweeps along the sky, and the waves toss their foaming 
 crests on high — how awful appears the iVIajesty of the Mo.«t 
 High ; and yet we discover without doubt^ that even amidst 
 what appear to be the elements of wrath, there are indeed the 
 elements of mercy, that the whirl-wind and the tempest are 
 but the instruments by which God freshens and purifies the 
 atmosphere around us, so as to produce in man that health and 
 vigor which he requires. 
 
 On an occasion like the present, it is necessary to deal with 
 generalities. To enter at any length upon those great divisions 
 into which the subject resolves itself, would be impracticable. 
 
12 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 In presenting before yon a catalogne of those many branches 
 of knowledge, all delightfnl and all nsefnl, how difficnlt is it, 
 in attempting to prove the admirable nses which Science is 
 calcnlated to promote^ to select subjects for illustration. The 
 field is boundless ; and all we can do is to tread on the threshold 
 of Science, and select one or two striking instances of what it 
 has done fov mau. 
 
 There are certain remarkable eras in the history of inventions 
 and discoveries, and the 15th Century is very noted in this res- 
 pect, perhaps more so than any Century since the Creation, ex- 
 tending as they do, with extraordniary puwer to the present 
 day. We find in that Century the invention of Printing, the 
 Mariner's Compass, and the discovery of America. I shall 
 select as a display cf the triuniphs of Science one or two of 
 great note. 
 
 T go back to a discovery of a most important article, I mean 
 gunpowder. This was either invented or brought into notice 
 by Roger Bacon, a Friar, wi.o in the year 12 IG published a 
 Treatise, in which he says: " You may raise thunder and light- 
 " ning at pleasure, by only taking sulphur, nitre, and charcoal, 
 " which singly, have no eftect, but mixed together and confined, 
 " cause a noise and explosion greater than thunder." 
 
 The quality of gunpowder dejiends on the proportions of the 
 three ingredients. 
 
 Common gunpowder consists of 75 parts of saltpetre, 12.5 of 
 charcoal, and 12.5of saltpetre. We may take into our handsu 
 piece of charcoal, or saltpetre, or sulphur, we may examine 
 them and investigate their proprieties. We shall find by chem- 
 ical analysis that a piece of charcoal consists of the same 
 elements as the diamond that sparkles on a lady's forehead. — 
 We shall discover all the articles of decided value to man, ac- 
 cording to their several properties; but, we shall wholly fail to 
 detect that prodigious power which, when combined they exert. 
 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 13 
 
 Giinpowder is of groat value in works of engineering, m le- 
 inoving natural obstructions that stand in llie way of improve- 
 ment. It has given to man, in a greater degree than ever, 
 dominion over the animal creation, and it has given him a vast 
 power in destroying his fellow man. Tt has created a total 
 revolution in the art of carrying on War. The bow and arrow, 
 and the spear are exchanged for the cannon and the musket ; 
 and to what an extent the power to throw missiles, and the un- 
 erring aim by which they are discharged, has reached, are well 
 known to the present generation. The rifle and the rifled can- 
 non have in our time been brought almost to perfection. Ithas 
 been a matter of dispute, whether this invention has been more 
 a blessing or a curse. My impression is, that it has mitigated 
 the sufferings of the wounded, it has inspired Nations with a 
 greater dread of war, ' om the power of the weai)ons employed, 
 and it has placed the weak and the strong more on a level, and 
 given the advantage to skill over brute force. Of course, much 
 might be said on both sides. 
 
 The great discovery which throws all others into the shade, 
 is the art of printing. The honor of this invention is claimed 
 by Hccrlem, Mentz and Slrasburg; and to each it belongs in a 
 qualified sense. The origin of it however belongs to Hierlem, 
 where in the year 1130 the first book was printed; and to 
 Lawrence Coster of that city belongs this great discovery. — 
 Coster was walking in a wood near the city, when he cut out 
 several letters on the rind of a beech tree, which to grntify his 
 fancy, being impressed on paper, he printed one or two lines, 
 as a specimen, for his grand children to follow. It is said that 
 Coster's method was to cut out the letters upon a wooden block 
 — Afterwards Guttemburg, John Fust or Faustus and SchcefTer 
 greatly improved the art. The first named invented moveable 
 types, and the two latter metal types. Printing in a very short 
 time acquired great perfection ; but, it is evident that the art, 
 as we have it, acquired from difTerent hands its recognized ex- 
 cellence. Fust was said to have been an apprentice to Coster, 
 
 D 
 
14 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 who bound him to secrecy ; but Fust left him, and settled 
 eventually ut Menfz. The completion of the discovery is in 
 reality due to Peter Schccfler, who found out the method of 
 casting the letters singly i\u^j mattrix. Fust and Schoaffer con- 
 cealed this invention, by an oath <?/* secrecy, till 14'G2, when by 
 the sacking of Mentz their workmen were dispersed, and the 
 plan divulged. 
 
 Printing was practised in Rome in 14G7. Next year it was 
 introduced into England by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of 
 Canlerbery, who sent Turner, Master of the Robes, and W. 
 Caxton, a Merchant, to the Continent to learn the ait. They 
 brought to England one Corsellis, an under workman, a press 
 was set up at Oxford, and the first book was printed by Corsellis 
 in 1468. Presses wore erected at St. Albans and Westminister. 
 It has been considered that Caxton was the first printer in 
 England, while in reality Corsellis was. The latter used separate 
 types cut out of wood, while Caxton was the first in England 
 who used fusile types. His printing office was in the Abbey of 
 Westminster, where he pursued the business till 1494, when he 
 died at a gieat age. 
 
 The iron press invented by Earl Stanhope, was a great im- 
 provement, as it saved a vasi amount of labour. It is well 
 known that the power of the steam engine has of late years 
 been applied to jtrinling, as may be seen in the Cajiilal of 
 Upper Canada. It was first used in this way by the Times 
 newspaper. 
 
 Stereotype printing, which much resembles the original sim- 
 i)le mode of p.inting, was invented in Scotland by Mr. Ged and 
 Mr. Tilloch respectively. A page is set up in the ordinary way 
 with moveable ty[)es, and, when found correct, a cast of plaster 
 of Paris is taken from it. Into this cast the metal is poured ; 
 and MO. on with each successive page. Of course no alteration 
 can take place with this method of printing. When once cor- 
 
 rect, it remains so ; and vast numbers of impressions can be 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 15 
 
 ' imes 
 
 sim- 
 and 
 way 
 aster 
 ired ; 
 atiun 
 ; cor- 
 n be 
 
 taken from each plate. With works of large circulation, it be- 
 comes a great saving in expense. 
 
 And, now that I have shortly gone over the history of print- 
 ing, of all inventions or discoveries, it forms the one of most 
 momentous interest. No event during the rolling of successive 
 ages can for a moment be compared with it ! Science, know- 
 ledge, civilization, humanity, man's best and highest interests, 
 have commanded its influence, and been powerfully affected by 
 it. As time progresses, so does this noble art command more 
 and more the sup})ort and the sympathies of man. How much 
 genius has been encouraged by it ! How many great inventions 
 have indirectly sprung from this one invention ! Foreign lands 
 and distant tribes have done homage to its power, and many, 
 many are the langua^3s in which it has been used ! Powerful 
 for good, it 18 powerful for evil ; and no man can advance the 
 great interests of morality and science better than by the em- 
 l)loyment of this stupendous engine. The speech of the greatest 
 orator commands the admiration but of a ihw hundred or a few 
 thousand people ; but the Press, by its repeated and large edi- 
 tions, may overspread the land. Politics, of old, were studied 
 and understood by comparatively few. Now, the daily and 
 other newspapers find their way to the hearllis and homes of 
 millions, and thereby vastly add to the stock of information, and 
 to the happiness of man. But the Printing Press, like all the 
 blessings bestowed on man, involves a great responsibility on 
 man himself. If it has been the mighty engine to raise man in 
 dignity, in moral greatness, in intellectual vigor, it has proved a 
 vast engine for evil — for pandering to all that is degrading in 
 his nuture, and thus lowering him as a moral being. This re- 
 mark applies equally to the writer and the reader. 
 
 If God has been pleased to bestow upon some men great 
 genius and commanding talent, does not the gift itself imply 
 that it shall be rightly used 1 that it shall be employed to the 
 praise of that glorious Being,and to the good of his fellow men ? 
 
m 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 If the poet and the |)hilosopher reflectei? upon u truth so great, 
 and yet so obvious, would not much thai has been written have 
 been blotted out] I know of no living man who bears ui)on 
 him so great, so fonrful a responsibility, os that man uj)on whom 
 (lod lias bestowed those Iranscondent talents whicli have ena- 
 bled him to lead the tastes, enlighten the intellects, and torrn 
 the morals of a great empire. How easy would it be to name 
 those who might be fairly comprehended inuler thisdesignution, 
 and whoso works have exerted a deleterious influence upon 
 millions of men. 
 
 If I have spoken of the responsibility of the writer, let mo 
 say something of the responsibility of the reader. It will be 
 very obvious, from what I have already said, what I deem good 
 and profitable reading; and I would now venture to warn the 
 young, in particular, not to indulge in what is called light r^^ad- 
 ing. It is very useless, and often very pernicious. Some 
 works, of course, ure worse than others — some, indeed, most 
 poisonous, 'most pernicious. Every wise parent will prohibit 
 such woriis, and every wise youth will avoid them. The re- 
 storation of Charles the second brought with it a iiood of writ- 
 ers noted for their abominable immorality, and the novelists of 
 the earlier part of last century were as vile as could well be. 
 The Poets of the Augustan age of Queen Anne gradually took 
 the place of those I have alluded to, while the Novelists of last 
 century have fallen into merited contempt and oblivion. 
 
 I shall close this subject by an extract from an anonymous 
 work I lately met with, but which T have good reason to believe 
 was written by a mechunic : — 
 
 " The invention of the art of Printing was m itself a memo- 
 " rable event, and gave an imj)ulse to the progress of society 
 " which will be transmitted io the remotest ages-. It has been 
 •' an instrument of incalculable benefit to man. To it we owe 
 " the infinite raultiplication of copies ot the Word of God, of 
 " works of science, and of sacred and elegant literature. To it 
 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 17 
 
 * WO oW(i llio ostablishniiMil of oluinoiilary sohools, and the 
 *• spreiitl of gpiierul iiiforinatiou by inouiis ot popular treatises, 
 " tracts, newspapers, aiiil n ajiazines, — in a word, it has been the 
 " grand instrument for raising ihe mass of the community in 
 " every country where it has had free action, from a state of" 
 " somi-barbarism to oiio of comparatively high social advance- 
 *i meii - 
 
 '* But unhappily this fair side of the picture is set ofl' by deep 
 " and dark shadows, llud the new power been always wielded 
 " by good and wise men, it could not 1. .ve failed to prove au 
 " unmixed blessing. The Vteaa, however, like every power 
 *• entrusted to human agency, is liable to be diverted from its 
 " proper ends, through the inflnence of human passion, preju- 
 " di-re, and the lovt* of gain , and, in fact, this counteracting 
 " influence has greai sway. So far as the good has preponder- 
 " ated, it must be attributed to the mercy of God and the force 
 *' of truth ; and nut to any lack of zeal or malignity on the part 
 " of the disseminators of error." And again he says: " As a 
 " love of reading generally betokens the existence of a certain 
 " degree of tacte and refinement, and is supposed to confer upon 
 " those who indulge it a sort of favorable distinction, it cannot 
 " be (JUt of place Jo observe — especially in reference to the 
 " present times, and the subject under consideration — that the 
 *' value of reading entirely depends upon its quality. If the 
 •' books selected have a tendency to awaken in the reader's 
 " mind a deeper love and reverence to God; to enlarge his 
 *' sympathies for his fellow man ; to excite and invigorate the 
 " best faculties of his mind ; to bring under his review all that 
 " is great, or beautiful, or useful, in the wide fields of science 
 " or literature ; then reading, whether pursued as a pastime, or, 
 " as it might be, for an ultimate object, is worthy to be ranked 
 '* among the highest of mental exercises. Rut if, on the other 
 " liand, reading be only the refuge of a vacant hour, and the 
 " works selected be of a nature to leave the powers of the uu- 
 " derstanding passive; to mislead the judgment; to sup the 
 
 E 
 
p I V !■ up pa 
 
 18 
 
 LECrUKE. 
 
 •' principles; tn corrupt tho lieurt ; or to infliitMice tlio iiimgi- 
 " nation ; then reading becomes not only a resource wilI)oiit 
 " |)rofit, but its direct tendency will be to develop and foster 
 " the worst propensities of the hnnian njind." 
 
 1 shall now just <i:lance at one of tho most important discov- 
 eries o( science, — J mean thut of glass. I'liny's ucc«>mit of it is, 
 that it was invented in Syria by accident, ut the mouth of the 
 river Beliis. Certain merchants, bein? driven lljere by stre&s ol 
 weather, and beinu: obliged to remain there for some time, made 
 a fire to dress their victuals. Some vi the plant Kali being on 
 the spot was Imrned to ashes, and, accidentally mixing with the 
 sand, vitrification ensued, and the hint wuv taken and acted 
 upon. It appears to have been very ancient, for Aristophanes 
 mentions it ; and Aristotle, who lived three and a half centu- 
 ries before tho Christian era, propcses two problems concerning 
 it, viz.: why one sees through it; and why it will not bend. 
 After him the word occurs (»ften enough. It seems to luive 
 been first made at .Sidon in Syria. It appears to have been 
 first manufactured by the Uomans in the reign of Tiberius — 
 Venice for muny years excelled all Kurope for its fineness of 
 glasses; but both the French and English have of late years 
 surpassed them. Lactantius, one of the Fathers of the Churcii, 
 speaks of glass in the third century; and Bede says uriificeis 
 in glass were brought to England in (J74. tilass windows were 
 not used till 1180, and were considered very magnificent. 
 Painted glass was introduced in the reign of John ; but the first 
 specimens are of the time of Henry the Tliird. The munufac- 
 'uro of it was beirun in England in 1557. 1 may slate that 
 flint glass is made by melting, in a strong fire, 120 lbs. of white 
 sand, 50 lbs. of red lead, 40 lbs. of p. arl ashes, 20 lbs. of nitre, 
 with a small quantity of borax and arsenic. Plate glass is made 
 by pouring the liquid glass upon a table of pot metal or copper, 
 with iron ledges. As it cools an iron roller is passed over it ; 
 afterwards it is annealed and polished. 
 
 While wc are all familial with the vast amount of comfort 
 
 % 
 
LECTUIIK. 
 
 19 
 
 und convenience we enjoy from tlu! nsc of glass, we are led to 
 take u fur higher view of the discovery in respect to Ihe prodi- 
 gions influence it Ims exorcised on science. 'J'o it we owe those 
 wondrous instrnmenfs, the Telescope and the Microscope. The 
 son of u spectacle maker of Middlehnri?, in Holland, was 
 amusing himself in his l'ulher\s shop, hy holding two glasses be- 
 tween his finger and his thnnd), and, varying their distances, 
 ppipoived the weathercock of the church spire opposite to him 
 much lujperlhap nsnal,and appiirently mneh nearer, and appear- 
 ing also to be turned nnside down. 'J'his wonder excited the 
 amazement of the father — he adjusted two glasses on aboard, 
 rendering them moveable at [>lersnrc ; and thns was brought 
 about the first rough model of a perspective gloss. (Tallileo, a 
 philosopher of Tuscany, illustrious in the onnals of science, en- 
 deavoured to bring the discovpiy to f>erfection. He placed his 
 glasses in long organ pipes, and constructed a 'I'elescope. — It 
 was in the year 1(510 that (lalileo made those discoveries in the 
 heavens which have made his name immortal. He beheld 
 four moons revolving round the ])lanet Jupiter — spots on the 
 face of the sun, and the rotation of that globe round its axis — 
 mountains and valleys in the moon, und numbers of fixed stars 
 where none before were visible. .Since that time great have 
 been the improvements in the Telescope, till we comedown lo 
 the present day, when Lord ilosse apj ears to have excelled all 
 others in this respect. 
 
 The Microscope was invented soon after the Telescope ; and 
 this beautiful instrument opens to us a world of wonders. We 
 perceive that every particle of matter has a determined form — 
 that the scales on the skin of a haddock are exquisitely varie- 
 gated, and like net work, so that no art could imitate it; that 
 the points of prickles in vegetables, when magnified a thou.sand 
 Times, appear us sharp and pointed as to th«! nuked eye; that 
 every particle of dust on the wing of a moth or butterfly is a 
 beautiful and regidurly organized feather; that every hair of 
 our head is a hollow tube, with bulbs and roots, and that the 
 
20 
 
 LECTL'KE. 
 
 ])ores of our skin art; 8() nnmiToii!} utid miiuitu lliut a ^(aiii of 
 suncl woiilil cover l'2r),000 oC lliein. V\'c pL-rcoive aniumloil 
 lic'iugs, in cerluin licjiiiJs, m* iiiiiiulu timl 50,01)1) of llu'ui would 
 iiol equal the avAn ol a luitc, and yet each is runiusltcd willi 
 luoutli, eyes, anil oilier organs of animal function. 
 
 Willi what awe, with what wonder ouirhl we to look up (<» 
 tinit ureal artideer who has thus fornuHl tin? snhliuie scenery i»f 
 th(! heavens, this heunlilul eiirlli, the exquisite structure oC t)ur 
 own bodies, and at the sanio lime is mindful of a peopled w<trld 
 so niinult! as to ho to tho human vye wholly invisible. 
 
 I bhall now shortly advert to ii di^'e.overy, so wondnais in lis 
 power, so nuijestic in its residls,asto throw almost every inven- 
 tion of man entirely into the shade. J mean tliu Steam Engine. 
 'I'liere was published in lOl)!}, durnig the reign of Charles the 
 Second, a very curious, and now u very rare-book, called the 
 Ma.quis of Worcester's centenary of inventions. Having read 
 it in my youth,, I cannot, at this dii)tauce of time, recall the 
 manner in which the noble author treats the subject, nor am I 
 (juitc sure whether he may be ^ty]ed the inventor of the plan, 
 or whether for the first time he gave it to the wo.-id. At all 
 events, the hint is contained there. Jt appeared that the force 
 with which steam i-ssues Irom the spoul of a tea kettle, and 
 raises the lid, while the water is boiling, suggested ils power. 
 It was many years alter the Mincjuis wrote, ere an engine driv- 
 en by steam wasmvented. The names of Savory and Newco- 
 men are used with reference to the cuustruclion (»f the Steam 
 Engine. 'J'here can be no doubt that for years it was a clumsy 
 machine, doing very little, compared with ils size. Jt was re- 
 served fur one of ihe most illustrious nanies in the records of 
 science — a name whose lustre will for centuries survive tho 
 dimming process of time. To James Watt belongs the h' nor, 
 not, indeed, of discovering, but of improving this great inven- 
 tion, so as nearly to render it that perfect and admirable machine 
 which we now find it to be. He found it a dwarf— he left it a 
 giant 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 21 
 
 The (iitlernil kiiulM of .Stcuin Kngiiies urc, tlio high pressure 
 — foriuerly coiisidoreil duiigcroiiH fur vessels; the luw pressuro 
 reciproculin^ engine, where the inuchinnry is kc[)t in inotiun by 
 11 revolving crunk; un«l the rutury en<^ine, where the steuni is 
 (ip|ili<'il hy u rutary motion, wilhonl the loss of power by frictiuii. 
 
 It nniy bo simply suiil tW the low pri'.ssnru engine, thut. il 
 consists uf a (brcing pump, with its rod fixed to one end of n 
 lever thut is worked by the pressure of the atmi'Sphero upon u 
 piston ui the other end ; ii temporury vacuum being made below 
 it by suddenly condensing tiie steam thut had been let into u 
 cylinder in which the piston works, by a jet of cold water 
 thn»wii info it- A partial vacimm being thus made, the weight 
 of the atmosphere presses down the piston, nnd raises the other 
 end of the straight lever, loaded with water, when used in n 
 mine ; then immediately a hole is uncovered in the bottom of 
 the cylinde., by wh ch u fresh supply of hot steam rushes in 
 from the boiler, wliich nets as a counter-balance to the atmos- 
 phere above the piston, and tlie weight of the pump rods at the 
 other end of the lever carries thai end down, and, of course, 
 raises the piston of the steam cylinder. The orifice for the ad- 
 mission of steam is immediately shut, and the cock opened fur 
 injecting the cold water mio the cylinder. This condenses it to 
 water, and another vacuum is made below the piston, which is 
 again forced down by the weight of the itmosphere ; and thus 
 the work is continued as long as v\aier and fuel are supplied. 
 
 With the application of steam to coal mines, to manufactories, 
 and other general purposes, all are fiimiliar. From a report of a 
 Committee of Parliament in 1822, it appears that the first at- 
 tempt at impelling vessels l)y steam was made by an English- 
 man of the name of Hull, who, in 1736, olitained a patent for a 
 steamboat, to be moved by cranks and paddles. It was in 1807 
 that the invention was brought to practical use by Fulton, an 
 American, who had the advice of Bell, a Scotch engineer. As 
 in the case of printing, a claim has been made both by Fulton 
 
^p- 
 
 22 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 I': 
 
 
 and Bell. The prolwibility is lliat each profitecl by the other's 
 views, and that bolli deserve great honor for their slmre in the 
 invention- The (irst steam vessel in Britain was hiult by Bell, 
 on the Clyde, and named the Comet. It was of tv/enty-five 
 tons burthen, !Uid fonr horse power. It is lamentable to reflect 
 ^■lat this distinguished man was allowed to die in poverty. 
 
 And now, to speak of Railways. As early as 1676 coals were 
 carried from near Newcastle-on-Tyne to the hanks of the riv- 
 er, by i. tying rails of timber straight and parallel, on which cars 
 with fonr rollers, flitting the rails, and drawn by horses, would 
 convey four or five childrons of coals. About a century after- 
 ward, an iron railway was constructed at the Sheffield colliery. 
 The first railway resembling those now in us-, for goods and 
 puiSsengers, was the Stockton and Darlington railway, complet- 
 ed in 1825. 
 
 Several years passed before Steam Locomotive engines were 
 invented. This noble triumph i»f art was finally achieved by 
 the completion of Ihe Liverpool and Manchester railway, l»ogun 
 in 182G, and opened on the 15th Se[itember, 1830. Its con- 
 struction cost £800,000 sterling. The Duke oi Wellington and 
 Sir Robert Pee! were present, as was also Mr. lluskisson, who 
 was unfortunately killed by accident on the occasion. ' 
 
 Such is a short sketch of the progress made by this mighty 
 power. Its great improver, Mr. Watt, was a native of Greenock, 
 and died near Birmingham in 1820, having li»red to see the fruit 
 of his Idljers successful to a great extent. To expatiate on this 
 great invention is not needful. Not a daily paper, not a news- 
 paper reach us— scarce a letter is received — that does not re- 
 mind us of the benefits flowing from the steam engine. Let 
 us behold the City of Manch«*sler or of Glasgow with their vast 
 chimneys— l)U8y,.populous, enterprising — what an idea is given 
 of the Manufacturing greatness of Britain. Who can look upon 
 one of those colossal steamers that bear oui malls over the 
 broad Atlantic, without being struck with pleasing astonishment. 
 
LECTUIIE. 
 
 23 
 
 Even Dr. Lardiior, na mean Philosopher, ridiculed the idea of 
 a steamer crossing the Atlantic ^ and now they proceed almost 
 daily, with the regiilurily of clockwork. Casting our eye upon 
 a gigantic War Steam Ship— the Warrior for instance— u hat an 
 iilea presents itself of its being the iii)persoi?ation of power and 
 giandeur — more hke a fabled monster of the olden time. And 
 con we behold the dashing, raging engine, with its stupendous 
 train, as it thunders through our loreMs, without beinj struck 
 with surjjrise and admiration 1 
 
 1 shall repeal to you a few lines written as an eulogium on 
 I\lr. Walt, by his distinguished friend Francis Jeffrey: 
 
 •' Mr. James Watt, the great improver of the Steam Engine, 
 " died on the 25th April, 1820, at his seat of Heathfield, near 
 Birmmgham, in the 85th year of his age. 
 
 " This name, fortunately, needs no commemoration of ours; 
 " for he that bore it survived to see it crowned with undisputed 
 " and unenvied honors ; and many generations will probably 
 *• pass away before it shall have r^athered all its fame. 
 
 " We hiive said that Mr. Watt was the great improver of the 
 " Steam Engine; but, in truth, as to all that is admirable in its 
 " structure, or vast in its utility, he should rather be described 
 " as i\s inventor. It was by his inventions that its action was 
 " regulatedj so as to make it capable of being applied to the 
 " finest and most delicate manufactures, and its power so in- 
 *• creased as in set weight and solidity at defiance. By his ad- 
 " mirable contrivances it has become a thing stupendous alike 
 " for its force va^d its flexibility, — (or the jtrodigious power 
 " which it can exert, and the ease and precision and ductility 
 " with which it can be varied, disfriluited, and applied. The 
 '* trunk of an elephant, which can pick up a pin or rend an oak, 
 " is ns nothing to it. l! can engrave a seal, and crush masses of 
 " obdurate metal before it, — draw out, without breaking, a 
 " thread as fine as gossamer, and lift up a ship of war like a 
 
'TTT 
 
 24 
 
 LECTURE. 
 
 " baiiMe in the air. Il can embroider iiuislin and forge anchors, 
 " — cut steel into ribbands, and impel loaded vessels again.st the 
 " fury of the winds and waves. - 
 
 ■i 
 
 *< Il would be difficult to eMimate the value of the benefits 
 '' which those inventions have conferred upon the country. 
 " There is no branch of industry that has not been indebted to 
 " them ; and in all the most material they have not only wid- 
 " ened most magniticently the field of its exertion, but nuilti- 
 <* plied a thousand fold the amount of its productions. It is our 
 " improved Steam Engine that has fought the l>attles of Europe, 
 " and exalted and sustained, through the lute tremendous con- 
 *' test, the political greatness of our land. It it the same great 
 " power which enables us to pay the interest of our debt, and 
 *' to maintain the arduous struggle in which we aro still cngag- 
 " ed, with the skill and capital of countries less oppressed with 
 •' taxation. But these are poor and nurrow views of its imiior- 
 *' tance. It has increased indefinitely the mass of human com- 
 " forts and enjoyments, and rendered cheap and accessible, all 
 *■ over the world, the materials of wealth and prosperity. It 
 *' has armed the leeble hand of man, m short, with a power to 
 ''which no limits can be assigned; completed the dominion 
 '' of mind over matter, and laid a sure foundation for all those 
 " future miracles of mechanical power which are to aid and re- 
 " ward the labors of after generations. Il is to the genius of 
 " one man, too, that all this is mainly owing; and certainly no 
 " man ever before bestowed such a gift on his kind. The 
 " blessing is not only universal but unbounded ; and the fabled 
 " inventors of the plough and the loom, who are deified by the 
 " erring gratitude of their rude contemporaries, conferred less 
 " important benefits on mankind than the inventor of our pre- 
 " se»n Steam Engine. , ; . >, , ,; 
 
 " This will be the fame of Watt, with future generations; 
 " and it is sufficient for his race and country." , ^ 
 
LECTURE. 
 
 35 
 
 And now. Ladies and G'-ntlemen, after this splended tribute 
 to the memory of departed genius, it remains only for me to 
 hope that whatever deficiencies you may have found, in this 
 attempt to recommend science to your notice will be pardoned. 
 
 _5l^vSW^