Page:A Treatise on Geology, volume 2.djvu/351

 CHAP. XI. where gold had been found in small quantity, and in which, from its similarity to the Ural, he anticipated that it would certainly be found in abundance (1846); and presented a note on the subject to the British Colonial Minister (1848).

Facts like these are unanswerable; but do they not teach us that it is of the utmost importance to connect more closely the theory and the practice, the intellect and the hand; to place the treasures of science within the grasp of experience; to bring together the Murchisons and the Hargraves, the men of thought and the men of action, so that right ideas may become fruitful deeds, and patient labour be encouraged to undertake enterprises which science shows to be of good omen. The lectures which are now in course of delivery on Australian gold at the Museum of Practical Geology, are a step in this direction. A Mining School is established there. If it produce the fruits which are expected from such an institution, many benefits will accrue to humanity; knowledge will be diffused among classes who know how to value it; industry will be better guided and better rewarded; our miners will not breathe the slow poison of mephitic air, nor perish by hundreds through the explosion of inflammable gas.

It appears unnecessary to extend these proofs of the value of geological principles to the agricultural and mercantile interests of a nation. One of the most obviously useful applications of science is in the colonies sent forth by a commercial people; and perhaps no more important service could be rendered to Australia or Canada, than by accurate geological surveys, such as are now proceeding steadily in several of the United States of America.

This is, however, not the place to advocate plans