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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 , 3 1 2 3 I 4 5 6 IP^^I^IP mmifm^ "iPii!P"f|| 1800 Aim 1850. <^^V'^WW^^^^*»^^^^*^^^^>»^^^^^»^I^^^V^^^^^^^^^Mfc A LECTURE, DELIYEBED BEFORE THE lORTBEAL lEGHAnOS' IH8TITDTE, OK TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1850. Biblioth^ie, V ' Le S6minaire d^^^i2s!^o0 3, rue de rUniversil^, thf > Qufebec 4. QUE. /^^^^~^^^ PBINTBD BT BOLLO CAMPBELL. 1850. WPP!P?Wf'*!S*^^f ^^^^■wippflwppipiipipppwifii^iii^^ 1: ^■1. -mwa. #118 1: ;') V. i^S ;/:'.5.- .;.-.:i/,;- " "^m^ i, OT.iOiT. .Uoo^ ^mmi^mmm vJaif If #• Had ^m^m. A LECTURE, (Ddivered htifwe tU Mtehanies^ ItuHMef January 8, 1860.) BY TSS SIT. J. X. CBAXP, D.V. ^- In reviewing events, men are iioffolarly afibeted by tbeir varioiM tempertmento. The nelftnokolie eee every thing In a dull and dntky medivm. They are ever looking bacii with ill-iiippreued mnrodBring. The timet, they aay, are getting worse and worse :— mankind ^ sinking into degeneracy— manners are depraved, and oiime's inciease. Present evils are magnified by them, and existing advantages disjmrsged. In vain do yon laboar to rectify their jvdgments, To vonr opinioos, they oppose their owu experience. They ^ave long observed the gradoal decline, and they can see nothing else in any direction.. This is not new : — it is a mental di- sease of old standing. Nearly ihree thousand years ago it was said, ^ Say not thon. What is the caose that the former tiroes were better than these? For then dost not enquire wisely concerning this." The sanguine contemplate the same events, but not with similar emotions. With them, all is sunshine. Where others see nothing but declension, they behold progress. While all around are penetrated with apprehension and alarm, hope tells to them her " iatteriog tale, and gives buoyancy to tbeir spirits, and vigour to tbeir efforts. The prospect is always bright., They love to talk of progress and improvement, and are skilful in devising schemes by which society may be be- nefited. Their interpretation of events is sure to be favour- able. Every degree of success is viewed as a triumph, and failures am regarded as only temporary checks, soon to be removed out of the wsy, and but slightly interfering with the grand result. In a worn, the melancholic and the sanguine are very common varieties oil humsn character, and individual specimens are continually presenting themselves to notice. We are not called upon now to judge between them, and will therefore only remark, that whatever cause msy exist for the A 2 Sloom which eneirelei the former, and howeter jattly a oughtfal man may eometlmea conclade that the timea are out of joiot, it ia wlier and more condnoiye to happiuen to adopt a charitable constrnction, and indalge in the viaiona of hope ; and it V$f^Wy»mif^ ^^m^Wj^f* conaidered, the melanchouc la Iom liKely to be a nseful member of society than bis aangnine neighbour; — for the sad mniingsof tho one are apt to Inll him into'Btmijber, while the entliaBiaim of the other impeli him to " expect great thinga, and attempt great things,''— and the nfoew of the attempt is often found to be strikingly proportioned to the extent and boidoesa of serf iceable to iiVlVV -V^ 1\ .'^.^ ^Yr tjxte serf iceable to botn classes to take a survey of events at distant periods, in order that, contrasting the state of Bocietv at.thP pMRfflAPC^Rient 9f ftJ^iTASi^r^tlvith its state at the cloae, a more correct estimate may be formed. A suitable opportunity is now furnished for such an exercise. We have entered on the closmg year of the first half of the nineteenth century. A review of the fifty years will be ap- pr^Hate andlnalraccive. nmnatnot be atippoeed, however, that it will be possible on tMs occashmto Mesent anjfthing like a coninlete sui^vey — for th^ field le too extensi^eiand the multitude of objeeta-too giest. In somii ttaipe^ts, too, I'might be ib danger of trench- ing on the Umits jimeiitly set to your diseussiofis :->.auoh an ^itof raiiovid bb Uidet ttruuiilously anxious to hold. It will obier^e thai be' proper, there(b|«, to that I shall only take a very 6f$Mitf notice otihe teneral history of the period, purnosioff (oinMct your auenflMf, especially, to matters cbttoeotea w4tb itknU^t Iiteratiirr,'and social progress. ' At the oy^nhag olf the yesT 1800, Buonaparte was First Cohsul of Fruneil. ' Fbnr yearis' after he beeadie fimperor, and for tf n years neirty all Europe was awayed by him, its respective kingdoms being subjected to His influence, or made to feel the power Of his irms. It might be aaid of him, as of Ne^uehsdnexzar, the proud King of flabylon, " WhOth he wOuid he set up, and whom he would he put down>^wbom lie would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive." Fearful were the ravages he committted, &nd terrific the waate of human life occaaioned by his insatiable ambition. The fairest portions of the old continent were desolated by his armies. The forced conscription, deluging France with misery~and the battle-fields of Marengo, Austerlitz, Jisna, and Waterloo — together with the blood-soaked plaini^ of Rus- sia, attested hia itnpUcable fiercenesa, and the reckless de- termination with which he pursued the object in view, ooute qu^il coute. His abdication restored peace to Europe, and that peace was undisturbed, with slight variations, till 1848, When the thiki Frenksh revolution, (the second tookj^scein lUO, when Ghartea X, waa expelled, and Lpiiis Philippe o 8 if MbttitDted in hit plaee,) wu followed bv kiodred movementi in Germany and Italy, the iisaes of which are not yet deve- loped. The actntl and relative position of the European States fa much the eaoie now aa in 1800. The princiDal difiereocea are— the division of the Netherlands into two kiogdoma — the separatk>n of Hanover from the Britiah Crown, which took place on the aeceasion of Victoria, the laws of that kingdom not allowing female sovereignty — some unimportant changea in the territoriea of the Italian States— and the lose, by Spain and Portugal, of their possessions on the American Continent, the result of which waa the eatabliahment of the Empire of Brasil, and of numerous Republics. Greece, also, has been separated from Turkey, and erected into an independent kingdom. The Britiah Empire, since 1800, has received considerable accessions. Malta was conquered in 1800 ; Britiah Guiana and St. Lecia in 1808 ; the Cape of Good Hope in 1806 ; and the Alauritius in 1810. Oar Australasian dominions have been enlarged by settlements in Van Diemen*8 Land, New Zealand, and South and West Australia. In India, ex- teneive territories have been added, chiefly in the North- western portion of that country ; while China, humbled by our power, has opened five ports to free commerce, and con- sented to permit the settlement of Europeans and Americana in thoae parts, whence the science, arts, and religion of the Western world will be diffused throughout that vast Empire. On this Continent, also, great changes have taken place, mostly occasioned by emigration from Europe. Reserving all notice of Canada for another part of this Lecture, it may be mentioned that in 1800 the population of the United States was under ^ millions : it is now more than 21 mil- lions. The following States have been admitted into the Union within that time, via. : Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, Mis- sissippi, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, Florida, Michigan, Ar- kansas, Texae, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Frum the recent addition of territory ceded by Mexico, inclndiog California, important results mi^y be expected, embracing in their range all maritime countries, aiuce the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will ere long be united, and a new route will be opened to China and the East, which will effect a complete 'evolution in the commerce of the world. Of the crowned heads and princes of Europe, there is bn^t one now surviving who had begun to rule in 1800 — the Prince of Lippe Schauroburg, one of the Princes of the Ger- man Confederation, whose dominions are so small that the number of his subjects is considerably less than that of tho present population of this city. He succeeded to t\e Princi* rality in 1787, beinjp; then little more than two years old. The senior in point ofage is the king of Hanover, who is in A3 hii 79tb vetr }— the junior it the prince of Wald^ck, who 10 iri %in 19th. There t^^ flflV enter iu|#ri jof the Baropfan Sta^, tWenty-tij^ of whom hkTe been' bora sfnee Jamrar^ 1, 1^C!0. Four of then* are fpmales— the Queens of QiptH Briw]n,19pa1n,andPortagal. fiiid the Dneheea 'iof Anhalt- C^thenf. dietpeen 1$06 and itw, ten soTer^lffnii wei^'Uto- potied or indneed to abdif^^e> either under the fpflnene'e of a superior power, at in the eaflefl of thbie who wefcf diaplaced by Buonaparte,— 01* in oonBe^^ence of mijinile, tfoad^ff the people t6 resiiitance, and iltniittg Jii reirbTotion--of wb'f^h Charles X. and Louts Philippe were the most stvikimr ex- aniples. " ft is impossible to give n full catalogue of the mapy ip- dividbals from whose writings, actfmis, or inflaence, the countries In' which they lived, and in tome Instances the world at large, derived benefit* and who were livine Tn ISOO, but have since died. S^ieetion^ too, may seem Invidious ; y^t U may be proper to mentfonspm^ of the most illustrjbus names. Since the commepcement of the period now under review, the followinff persons, eminent in their respective departments, hieive finished their course, vis. : Staie^en, — William Pitt, Charles James Fox, Edward Burk^; Sheridan, Lo|^ ilrskine, Orattan, Cnrran, Whitbread, Sir Samuel Roihily, Lord Holland, Canning, Huskisson, Sir James Mac- intosh. Lord Sydenham, and the Earl of Durham. Naval and Mitiiary Warriors :— Sir Ralph Abercrombie, Lord Nelson, Earl St. Vincent, Lord Duncan, Lord Collmgwoc^, Sir John Moore, Lord Hill, and Lord Exmoutb. Scientific men and Artists: — Sir William Herschell, La Place, and Lalande, all first-rate astronomers — Dr. t^riestley, celebrated for bis researches in Electricity and Chemistry — Lavater, Sir Joseph Bankes, Cuvler, famed for his skill in compara- tive Anatomv and Paleontology — Caven(|i8h, Sir Astley Cooper— the Chemists, Sir Humphrey Davy, Woollastoh, uul Berzelius— >tbe travellers^ Moi|go Park, Belzoni, and Dr. Edward Clark— Watt, the g^eat' improver of the steam en- gine — Canova, Benjamin West, Sir F. Chartrey, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Wilkie, Ronnie, and Stephenson. AtUhors: — the Poets Cowper, Henry Kirke White, Bloomfield, Byron, Pollock, snd Keats— Sir Walter Scott and'iRobert Sonthey, distinguished both in prose abd verse~-thi^ hilltoi'lains, Roscpe, Niebunr, Sismdtidi, and Sharon Turn^r--ibe 'critrcis. Person and Parr — Lindley Murray, the girammarian— Coleridge, Schlegel, Charles Lamb, Dr. Arn9Td— ^mong the' diviises, Bishops Horsley, Porteous, HebeP. and Mrddietpn, Doctors Paley, Adam Clarke, Burton, tywieht, imd' Citalmers, and Messrs. Andrew Fuller, ItoheVt mil, John Foster, John Newton, and Richard Ceciil— and the fe|^ale writers, Madame DeStael, Mrs. Trimindr, Hannah Mbrcl^and Mjii. llemahu. PMIMropts/s :— QHi&Ville ShikrpjB^ Zicliary Maca^lay, t 1 I ^-^■^ William Alien, Oberlin. William Will. force, Thomae CUrkion, and Sir Thomia Powell Boston. Mittionariis: — Heory Martyn, Dr. Carey, Dr. Vanderkempi Dr. Morriioo, the martyr WillUroa, and William Koibb. f proceed now to flanoe at the djiooveriei, improvemepta, and aocial progreia, by which the hat half century haa bMn dlstinffoiehed. '1. DiscovBRiKs.— It haa been an age of bold and nntirlag Inquiry. Taking fall adTantape of the inveitigationii and conoliiftiona of their predeceaaora, the phiio^'opheni of the nineteenth centary have poshed forward their reaea'vhea with a peraeverincf ardour which haa beon richly rewarded. Adverting, in ti»a firat place, to A$tronomif, it »• obviooa to remark, that the brilliant diaeoveriee of 8ir laaao Newton and oihd^, fO the aeventi^enth century, and <>f Bir Wllliioi Heraohell towards the cloae of the etgi^t^enth. aeemdd to leive ntl)e rop^ for fiii'l^Heir deyelopjoiietitif. ' B^tit iif !|f vet top apon tc deflpe th^'liipita mw W^l^b m ^^n wfid ijijfiy be c\n^mmi^^' AatrpPfti^ep W? mm b'gh^r ai^d higher, apd pi^mrf^^^ deeper ij^d mm Wo m aricana of space. In the early part of the period we Hfe now rmriewing, four sroaUer, or ultra-podiaoal planeta were broogbt to light, which received the name ot Gerea, /ono, Paliaa, and Vesta ; and in the letter part, the number was increased by the addi- tion of five mot-e, natiied respectively Flora, IHs, fltetis, Hebe, and AstroBd. The observations of fyje ^ohn Heractiell in the l^oiittierp E^en^ispherd have add^d li/fl^ly t^, astrblAp^ij^l kijpf if?<|ge ; ana tbp employment ot ^fiipfpy^dipptrupipii^ tykk epabjed him and other astroffioip^ra to di,ending fluctuations. The discovery of other systems in the boundless regions of spree was the triumph of astronomy ; to trace the same system tnrOvigh various transformationr— to behold it at successive eras attorned with diflforent hills and valleys, lakes and seas, and peopled with new inhabitants, was the delightAil meed ot* geological research. By the geometer were measured the re- gions of space, and the relative distances of t^*^ heavenly bodies ; —by the geologist myriads of ages were reckoned, not by arith- metical computation, but by a train of physical events— a sue- oessiou of phenomena in the animate and inanimate worlds — signs which convey to our minds more deiinite ideas than figures can do of the immensity of time. * # # * « # The practical advantages already derived from it have not been inconsiderable ; but our generalizations are yet imperfect, and they who come after us mav be expected to reap the most valuable fruits of our labour. Meanwhile the claim of first discovery is our own; and, as we explore this magnifi- cent field of inquiry, the sentiment of a great historian of our times may continually be present to our minds, that ' he who calUi what has vanished back again into being, enjoys a bliss like that of creating.' " Here, also, it may be proper to introduce a reference to the prugreaa made since 1800 in our knowledtte ot the surface and diviaiona of onr globe, ita climatea and productions. Adveninroua travellera by land and sea, have explored coasts and territoriea which were before but imperfectly known or not known at all — plunging into pathlesa deserts— exposing themselvea to the scorching heat of a vertical sun— braving i " 9 he hprirori pf.tbe V^Awt ^I^Wr^n^VJng toils and prjva- ^imit aMfamof^^, wI(A ft v^W \9 onwld diori cWfy the fl^ ^r'tbh emerpriM D|s bi^ in tp^w ehddftvors. The Tifi!(Mffl^'9f^F M>it l)jljr^ bdeij duried on In Afrioa— in the i^fi-7-!(i trivia— t0d in the teri'ttotiet verging to the |n cQi]iai(iand the curious and varied researches of Professors Brando and Fnraday, embracing the diflferent gases and the multiform compounds c. acids with alkalies, or with the newly discovered metallic bases, deserve to be particularly mentioned. Enu- meration is impossible. The progress of chemistry during the fifty years has been a continued triumph. ^ Astronomy, geology, and chemistry have been selected as specimens. In every other department of science there has been similar progress, placing the sojourner of 1850 on an elevated vantage ground, and supplying him with extraordi- nary facilities in pursuing his investigations. So remarka- ble has been the progress, that the professor of the latter end of the last century, could he appear now among tt«, would scarcely understand many of the text-books of the present per od, on account of the difference of nomenclature, and the novelty of the principles and facts. In reference to the present state of science it may be fur- ther remarked, ihat the nuihber of enquirers and experimen- lalists is much greater than at any former period, and that the results of their investigations, though not of that striking character which is observable in the days of great discover- ies, are highly interesting and important. The leading principles and laws of all the phenomena having lonp ago been satisfactorily ascertained, the consequence is that mo- dern investigators have rather to do with minute resemblan- ces or differences, the internal relations and diversified effects of the smaller particles of bodies, delicate and accurate anp- lysid, and those wondrous influences which pervade all na- ture, but are as yet very imperfectly understood. On these accounts the annals of science may not be perused with much pleasure by the uniritiated, while nevertheless from time to tiine fresh discoveries are made, the amount of ascertained knowledge is daily increasing, and fresh insight is gained into the wise and benevolent arrangements of that Great Being who has constituted what are called, though not very reverently, the *' laws of nature," and who is " wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." 2. Let me now refer tc Improvements, or the applications of the results of science to practical purposes. In this utilitarian age, theory, however correct or bold (and on this latter account, perhaps, the more welcome to many) is not likely to get much credit unless it can be re- duced to practice. It is the glory of modern science tkiat theory and practice have been combined. '• 11 ^ \ Men have not been content with Bagacioas generalisations. They have continually enquired bow their race might be beneitted bjr their labours, and persevered in the exercise of ingenuity, till the new developements have issued in con- trivsnces adapted to lessen toil or contribute to the pleasure and comfort of mankind. The proofs are all. around us, and in every one*8 dwelling. Not a day passes without giving us the opportunity of reflecting on the improved position we oc- cupy, and the favorable circumstances in which we are fpund, a« contrasted even with those of the immediate pre- decessors of the majority of this assembly. Some few illus- trations may be adduced. In 1800, a journey of 100 miles was a serhus affiiir. It occupied, even in England, a long day, in some parts of the country double that time, imposing sreat inconvenience and fatigue on the traveller. lo 1860, that distance can be ac- oomplished without difficulty in three hours, sitting entirely at one's ease and reading or conversing at pleasure. In 1800 a voyage to India occupied from four to six months ; in 1860, India can be reached in a month, and China in less than another. In 1800, the merchant cc!:ald not pass from England to Canada, or back a^in, with 8.ny certainty of reaching the port of destination in a specific time — it might be one month. It might be three. In 1860. he can cross the Atlantic in 10 days, and visit the old country twice a year as regularly as the mercantile traveller used to take his accustomed rounds. In 1800, the streets of our towns and cities were lighted, if lighted at all, with miserable oil lamps, which did little more than make darkness visible, but rendered small service to the passenger. In 1860 the brilliancy of gas gives the splendour of an illumination within doors as well as without. In 1800, if a calamity occurred, requiring to be announced to a friend at a distance, the Post Office presented the quickest mode of transmission, and in innumerable instances sad and fatal consequences ensued, and most poignant dis- tress was inflicted from the impossibility of conveying intel- ligence by any swifter medium. In 1860, a message can be sent 600 miles in five minutes, and next morning the friend to whom yon sent may be at your door. In 1800, the amputation of a limb being necessarily accom- panied with excruciating pain, the patient often shuddered at the endurance, and refused to submit to the operation, or lingered so long that it was too late, in either case to save his life. In 1860 the suflbrer inhales a pleasant odonr, £dls into a sweet slumber, it may be into delightful dreame, and when he comes out of his reverie, finds himself minus a leg or an arm, without feeling a p*ogi or knowing how the separation has taken place. Us^^, ^ a fir 1800 be m TheeailIa8tr«tioM miffbtbe miiltidil^1#<^tdS twn ttt^'mftfch'u^lth wl|i6h w^ noW io ^M M &{ , {t£nc,retnfiM8 atrof inemtit sua -pt^ei ana tidtfer bbii ptoQ'r'e^fif ^W«t <^por ati^S(i&' to' df^p nendmi aqtf tia$erbdi otH^r cotiV^Me^iiiibr a^d tdimhM for 4»»i w^ s(ah^ mkhM' t6 pi^fbiibd aiid VkHitf uiMi- Then wbo pan enom«rate, the epdieaa invonDtiBbil,^f li^- pfiM ^ SuM antf t|e aPMiie^a o! cUmiM'A In ik- a^cS ffiom aQdrba 8^ 'ekt^H«i^e ir 86al^, tbaf ai-UtiM ^Mcb ilhy^^ra a'f^ c<>ti1d bnt; b^ j^fbHk^ed by th^ weadtUy, ar6' hdW pHMfn^eld at db attiaff a cuat iiH tb btt prbctirkblb' by ^11 e1,4^ i Ai)d who tKi(( deai^^i M tirogtofkaf aotiiHf w\\\ mj^'r^mik at tb^' cifcnlajtion for th^ir volumes, far beyond the lupaits <^f th^ fPCreiy literary coteries. Exceptionable and even pernicious ae many niodern books are, the popularity of triply ui^efiil booics, betokens on the whole, a healthy taste, and pre^Qts us from finding fault with the ^liberty of nnlicenseaprintuig.'* And it mnst be rei^rded as an enconraeuig s^ of the ti;^, that while the most richly endowed and biit mtotwM n#4fi U9 continually employed in providing' mental aliment % tM pnbUcy their exertions are duly appreciated ojiad well rewanM. Sectt, Hallam, Macaulay, |Prescot|^ Irvu)]|^ and W)Ay otneie whpse naniM canioot be mentioned, write for the worM* abd for poctentjr* i The half ceiftory has be^n fnrtber signaUs^ by the # x- teneion, the creation ic 9iany ^OflPCCli> of Periipdical 44teRa- tQi;e, W1^ tl^e eftcenticD oitli^M^fJtfivim^mi ^e^hn- <2emai^'s il%f;|^«, there wM^Uttle deserving that mm* in Gag^ffd, in UievOar 180<^ ^^irm m ^mh tbe MS^HiaSbufgh 9m^ti$rly #^w^?, wm !w«w othej» c^ aWlai clifi- ractfir, but mpr bonorabl wretaMlfMie+'.a^litbly Bwga^uMS. literary, pbOce^plilcd wld m^fmf \».Km%, 1»i9lmfH- eilii^ce, an4 iponrnMy mu^^ff^m!mii99!^MoQ^^ m 4 ^ mmt If WW4 J^2W»» miimmtm9% ^ Elnppffi w4 to Norm Amwim* Tb§ toPoencA of thupe f/Mmow is r, • «•■ %' f' 15 amatini^y powerful. Tlwf eorreot Um public taste, and shape pdblio opinion. Tfaiey supply inmmatioa— sng|e8t iaquir^— aid in formtnii; plans» and control tlieir operwion. They stimulate the fhill and languid, oheek the forwani»and confirm the hewtating. Tliey are welcomed by the npriffht, and feared by the hue. They are found in all places, from the drawing-room of the peer to the work-shop of the me- chanicr-4nd they sway all minds, not excepting those who boast of their indepeodence. How destraUe is it that the ourrent of Periodical Litaraitore i^ould be clear and deep, as well as strong I But, knowled^ is Ddt laerely diffused by schools and books. Ilie social prinoiplss which God has implanted in oar nature has been very properlv pressed into service. What cannot be dcme, or not eo well done, by an individual, can be accomplished bv a society ;— «nd by a society the di- vision of labour, which is essential to success, can be fully carried into eflbct, secitf in|f the due emjdoyment of eveaiy kind of talent and qual^cation, and allottiog to each his ap- propriate share in the general effort. Since the year 1800, societies have been maltiplied beyond all former example. It has beeii truly an age ot combinations and onions, and the utility of thehr formation is universally acknowledged. To the Koyal Sooietv, the first of the kmd, established in the reign of Charles u, have been added, in our own time, the Astronomical, Geographical, Ethnographical, Gedogical, Meteorologidil, Chemical, ArcflKdoffical, Zoological, and other societies, undertaking diflbrent departments of investi- gation,, and placing before the public, from time to time, the results of their enouirios. Last, but hot least in worth and im- portance, come Mechanics' Institutes, which have been emi- nently successful in diffusing knowledge, training and direct- ing the minds of thousands, and contributing to their happi- ness. Permit me to speak briefly of Oownnmnt* Great progress has been made in the sciepee of legislation since the year 1800. But little was done dnMnflf the first half of that period; the great European War, and the n^w arrangements conseqMat.on its termination, having occupied the whole tune and attention of statesmen. But minmle produced discontent and agitation; and from the. French revolotiou in 1880, till the present time, there has been a steady advance in the rightdireotion, in the struggle between despotism and freedom* Without eftring an opinion here on the merits of the various questions in dispute between the Government)! and the peopl^ I may ohecrve, thjM; to the concession of free con- atitatioM m countries in which they did HCt Mist attfae o-redttoed iNir- baroDB language* to writinie— introdueed the oonveniencea and comforts of life among savagei— tauffht them to think Hnd to reason— raised them to the true dignity of human nature— opened to them new and diteraifitd aovroea of enjoyment— and shown the heathen that the true religion has ** the proanise of thia life " aa well as of " that whiob is to come<" In 1800, Great Britain was a slave-holder. She stole men— ^and she bought them, and sold them. She waa the principal partner of the great slavery firm. But she has alwndoned the traffic. She has denounced it as a crime, and treated it, in the case of her own ai*bjects, aa piracy. At an immense cost she has sent her ships of war to watch the dealers in human flesu and blood, hunt them down, and 8oatch the prey from their grasp. She has done nkore — she has purged herself from the guilt. She paid a hundred millions of dollars to the planters , and then burst asunder the chains of the bondmen throughout her territories. There is now no British slave for the sun to shine upon. Pardon the ^rotiam of the apeaher — and allow him to say that it is among the. most pleasant recolleetioos of his life, that he took some part io thia holf crusade}!— that be had the honour to eo- operatewith the great and the good in rousing the people of iingland to that state of virtuous indignation b^ore which slavery withered and fell ; — that be neard th3 elo^ttent pleadings of George Thompson — the cutting st rcasms of Daniel 0'Connell-~and the thundering denunciations of Willian Knibb;— and that be saw the vsnerable Glarkson at the great Anti-^Slavery Convention in £ieter Hall, bending under the weight of more than fonrsoore years, receiving the plaudka of congregated thousands— yet meekly enjoying his trinnph, and expressing in terma of d^out acknowledgment, hie gratitude to Almighty God for being permitted to live to see that day I It wets a British Poet iwho said — " I wculd net have a dave to tffl my ground. To carry me, to ftm me while I sleep And tremble mhtn I wake, ftv all the wealth That sInewB botti^t and s(^ have ever earned^- Apd it is in the dominions of Great Britain that all men are / really bom *' tree and equal." In 1800, men ravelled in war. It waa the rage and the' fi^hl'oiDi. fingiiahhien had **nataral>ti^te8,'^ as tttey ' ^ei^(etijfi^--uiiittheyt0ott2i|%httfaei&: they bite pani d6«rD^ ibr it, an^ 'Mrf will amtrt for it br many ytaM to coitie. But it' great dmnge baa tiken ;>face ih the public » 4 . 19 F.'-X opinion of the country. ESngllfhman hav« no "oataral •nemtei " now. Thanks to the inflaence of Ghriatf anity, bet- ter anderatood, VM may adapt the words df the poet to our purpose, and say<^ *' War is a game, whioh, now that men are wise, Kings mutt not play at" Not that the fighting is all over. There will be conflicts yet ; — ^btit men will not " play at " war, as they have done. It wi|I be the last resort, and all other means of adjustment will b^ fitat and patiently tried. Foriperly, it was thd rule, and it constituted the history of the nations; hereafter, it wjl be the exception, and counted as a blot on the record. Bleeding humanity exc .ims, " Oh, that war wottld cease !" Commerce, science, philanthropy, plead for universal brotherhood. The voice of God declares that men shall " break their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hookr-'that nation shall not lift up svVord against nation," and that "men shall learn war no more." That time, we believe, is not very far distant. Irving thus endeavored, briefly and imperfectly, to sketch the progress of society, since the commencement of the pre- sent century, and to contrast 1850 with 1800, 1 presume that all present will admit the conclusion, that it is our happiness to live in a very extraordinary age, — an age which has been distinguished more than any that preceded it, by profound re- search, brilliant discovery, and far-ranging behedcence. The improving process is still going on, and it will now ad- vance in a geometrical ratio. The second half of thif^ century will be much more illustrious than the flrst, and ere the year 1900 dawns upon the world, mankind will have been blessed by such an unfolding of the true and the d&efql, in every department, as ** eye hath not seen nor e&r heaind,'^ nor the mind of man conceived. Afeanwhile, what is present duty 7 Faithfull)^ to aVkil ourselves of the advantages thus lavishly bestowed tibon us ~^to cherish a deep and serious sense of the responsibilities thence arising'—in regard to iqtellectnal training, to exercise a sound discrimination in the choice of authbrs, preferring the practical to the showy, the fanciful, and the romantic-— to cultivate the spirit of the age, and prepare to advance with it— and especially to take plirt in pronioting all well-digested platis and enterbrises for the benefit of our fellow-creatures, ouir eonntry, and thd world at large. OoM is a nobl0 voca- tion. Let m ehcerfnlljr i^p^dd to tbd calls Tf^ntch aire ad- dreMed to us on every side^ In the progress to whteh youir attentiofi htm bedn dIrlBcttfd this evening, Canada has largely participated. Her advance- ment since the year 1800 has neen steadily rapid. In that year, the population of Lower Canadar war 3d0,000 ; it has increased more tlWtt fii»ee4Uli', bilil|r itbW 780,000. The 20 population of Upptr Cvwda wm lOfiOO ; it baa inereMed mora than ttn^oldy baing aow 791^144. lo 1800, aisty-foar vaaaala arritad at iha PMt of Qaabac : io IMO, ona thooaand and tiity-foor. In 1800, the Provincial Ravanoa waa laaa than £80,000 : in 1848, the ratnnia for two qnartara axeacded £800,000. In 1800, a veaiei night talM aa nraeb tima iu gatting from Qnabaolo Montreal aa waa ocoopiad in croaa- ing the Atlantic : now wa leave ona city at annaet and raaoh the other. at annriaa. In 1800, there were no Common Schools, and in Upper Canada no Collegaa : in 1850, onr ■choola are frequented by 300,000 pnpila, and in addition to the Collegea and Seminariea connected with the French Canadhuijpopalation, we have M'Oill and Lennoxville Col- legea in Lower Canada, aod» in Upper Canada, Queen's, Regiopolia, and Victoria Colleges, and the University of Toronto, besides numerous private seminariea for pducation, well conducted and crowded with students. In 1800, there was no gas, no steamboats, nor railroads, nor plank roads-^in many places scarcely any road at all* The changes in these respects need not be enlarged on ; tlwy are well known, and duly appreciated. At that time, the country wore an aspect of rudeness and discomfort ; the population was scattered, toilsomely pioneer* ing its way through the Ibrests. Settlements were few and far between, and towns were but here and there viaible ; but in 1800, wherever the traveller goes, he discovera symp* toms of enjoyment, enterprise, and prosperity : well cultivated farms, flourishing mannfactories, thriving villagea, populous towns and cities, displaying the best style of modern elegance, together with abondiant proofs of remnoereting commerce, are presented to his view ; while in all directions be observes with satiafaction the care which has been taken to provide the meana of mental culture and religioua improvement. Before us, also^ an exhilarating proapeot is opened. What remains, but that we reaolve to be wisely patriotic }~tbat whatever poaition we may individually choose to occupy, politically or religiously, we will encourage to the utmost extent all purposes tending to the advancement of the inter- eats of the land ;— that we will foater ita inatitntions, and labour to bring them aa near perfecticm aa any thing human is capable of-*>that we will promote, aa far aa in na Ifea, the union of Canadians in furtherance of education, agriculture, mann&tctares, and all moral reforma ;— 4nd finally, that we win live for tbia country, and combine with all true Mtriots in the praaeeution of auch measures as shall render Canada a« great and gloriona as she is free ! (V ii ; OOO.n?* BGLLD CAMFBmLy FUNTBB. mmm