The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-09 00:00:00

pose is one which should not be given by one who is
merely honoured by being selected to propose it, but
it should have been intrusted to one who would have
been capable of doing honour to the subject. Now,
I am only one of the indiscriminate multitude who
can only appreciate the science by the benefits its
results confer upon mankind. It sometimes, how-
ever, happens that those who are perhaps the least
interested in the active performances of particular
duties, and who are, as it were, mere bystanders, are
more competent to form a general opinion as to the
state of facts than those who create the circum-
stances and control them. Having been called upon
unexpectedly to consider this subject, I cannot help
remarking that a short century ago a meeting like
the present of scientific men would have been impos-
sible. Only a century ago there was not a canal in
England, and scarcely a road, and although we have
been taught that Britannia was the mistress of the
ocean, still there is no doubt that the British
mariner encountered the perils of the deep un pro-
vided with any artificial advantages —always with-
out a chronometer, and usually without a sextant.
What, then, has produced the wonderful change
that has taken place in this respect? How is it
that our country is covered with railways, and that
it is surrounded by waters studded with floating
steam vessels ? How is it that we have instantaneous
communication between distant hemispheres and
continents? All these wonders have been achieved by
the attentive observation of nature by men of genius,
whose scientific discoveries and inventions have been
made of service in practical life. In the old days the
learned professions were founded upon erudition—
that is to say, no man who aspired to be a lawyer, a
clergyman, or a physician claimed the confidence of
society on any other ground than that he had ac-
quired the learning and the experience of the past.
An engineer, however, belongs to a scientific pro-
fession, which is founded upon observation and in-
vestigation. The chairman seems to regret that the
tabours of the civil engineers are not so considerable
as they have been in former years, but it is possible
there is not that demand for increased means of
communication that existed some years back. (Hear,
tt
hh
ee
m labs
a ko
iunrg
oof f r oa
iul
ae
invdi lar
le zihnteeerr
s. )
are B unto
tI
limitedh at
ot
ways. I hope they have other great dituhtiteshetocopeesrtfrourem.
engineers be particularly directed
tion of railways. Should not the attotetnhteioneoonfstcriuvei-1
tion of works for the improvement of the public
health. They have, indeed, recently
wiptrhotdhuactedsome
great works, which all must admire, object,
but there is one subject, if I might venture to give
a hint upon such a matter, that I believe would be
worthy of their consideration, and that is the supply
to this great and increasing metropolis of that pure
element upon which depends more than upon any-
thing else the health of this great city. I think if
the civil engineers were to turn their attention to
the better water supply of London, they would not
only find ample work to occupy their time, but
they would confer upon this city the greatest pos-
sible benefit. (Cheers.) The right hon. gentleman
went on to express a hope that the body of civil
engineers would shortly possess a building of their
own in which the pictures and statues of those who
attained eminence in their profession might be pre-
served for the encouragement of the younger
members. The right hon. gentleman concluded by
proposing "Prosperity to the Institution of Civil
Engineers," coupled with the name of the Presi-
dent, to whom he alluded in highly complimentary
terms, remarking that his great engineering works
had conferred a lasting benefit upon the metropolis
and upon the country generally. (The right hon.
gentleman resumed his seat amid loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN—I thank the Right Hon. the
Chancellor of the Exchequer for the flattering and
eloquent terms in which he has spoken of the Insti-
tution of Civil Engineers, and of myself as presi-
dent, and I also thank your Royal Highness, and
you, my lords and gentlemen, for the manner in
which you have received the toast. In a manu-
facturing and industrial country like England the
profession of the civil engineer must always be one
of considerable importance, and its prominence will
be in a great degree in proportion to the prosperity
of the country. It must, I think, be manifest that
England's peculiar greatness is almost entirely de-
pendent on the superior knowledge and enterprise
of her manufacturers, and on the skill and industry
of her people, and from no other source; and a
great responsibility, therefore, rests upon the
engineers of this country, and on the institution of
Civil Engineers in particular, to be especially vigi-
lant that our old pre-eminence in constructive and
mechanical work be fully preserved. Without
being unduly depressed, I would venture to hope
that a useful and warning lesson on this subject may
be drawn from the Great Exhibitions of the last few
years, and especially from tha French Exhibition
now open in Paris. lam reluctantly compelled, as
an engineer, to admit that in machinery a more rapid
advance towards excellence, and a greater number of
new and successful mechanic 11 combinations have
been made by foreigners during the last 16 years
than by the people of this country; and I cannot
look upon such a state of things except with feel-
ings of some anxiety. How much of this may be
due to the better education of the mechanic, how
much to cheaper labour, how much to natural ad-
vantages or to other causes, would be presumption
in me to offer an opinion ; but—although I am
personally no alarmist, and am always sanguine—l
feel that the circumstance to which I have referred
is too important to be neglected by wise statesmen
and true patriots. I freely admit that no foreigner
has yet attained the superior excellence and high
finish of some of our great mechanical firms, and
that in many branches of English manu-
facture considerable progress has been made ;
but still I am afraid it must be admitted,
on the whole, that our relative position
has not been maintained. Allow me again
to thank you, on behalf of the Civil Engineers, for
the toast of " Prosperity to their Institution," and
also for myself individually.
The toast of " Our Visitors" was responded to by
Lord Chief Baron Kelly, and that of " The Cor-
poration and Institutions of the City of London"
by the Lord Mayor.
The company did not separate until a late hour.