GOVERNMENT AND SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION.

THERE ought to be no shadow of doubt about the willingness of Government and the eagerness of Parliament to favour the application which has been made by scientific• men for a ship properly equipped for a three or four years' physical and biological exploration of the depths of the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Pacific 'Oceans, with a view to following up the very interesting and important discoveries recently made by Dr. Carpenter and Mr. Jeffreys and their colleagues in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. There is no longer any sort of doubt as to the scientific value of such an investigation. Everybody who has paid any atten- tion to the subject knows that what Dr. Carpenter has already discovered, which is of the first scientific importance, is little in comparison with what a properly-equipped expedition in three or four years' work may hope to effect,—that it may

produce the most 'practical fruits in relation to navigation No one for a moment denies that the State is concerned to en- itself, by elacidating the theory of superficial oceanic currents, force granamaLical and scientific and morEd teaching, nor that at present so little understood ; that it must throw the one of the very highest functions of the State is the expression of greatest light on the geological theories of the mode in which this common sense of duty in relation to the culture of the the must of the earth has been shaped into its existing young. The Government is in an infinitely higher sense the form ; that it must elucidate the theory of respiration and Government of the United Kingdom when it is enforcing nutrition, by discovering to us the organizations of the the common reverence of all parties for the rights of children's inhabitants of these great depths miles below the intelligence and character,than even when it is affirming guffaw, where the pressure on every square inch is the right of the larger section of the people to overrule the measured not by pounds, but by tons ; and, perhaps most will of the smaller section. We must not forget in the heat important of all, that it must help greatly towards the of party strife, that if there were not a good many more things explanation orf the theory of modifications of species, by on which we agree than there are on which we differ, govern- introducing us to -still active forms of life supposed till ment would hardly be held in respect at all. It is those

lately to be long ago extinct. There is, therefore, no ques- functions of government which all hold in esteem, the enforce-

tion at all as to the prospect of reaping a very rich crop of ment of order, the administration of juetice, the organization of scientific facts from these investigations. The only objection our physical and moral forces, the guardianship of common health that can be seriously raised to the grant of the paltry £15,000 and common knowledge, which win for Government its title to a year or so needed for three or four years for this most im- universal respect and deference. And who can dispute that we portent investigation, is the theoretic objection that it is not ought to add to these common functions the supply of means for the Government to apply the " hard-earned wages " of which Government alone commands fully,--or at least, cone- the people to purposes not directly contemplated as essential mends at so much less a cost than individuals that there would either to the preservation of order or the advancement of sound be an obvious waste and superfluity in providing them out of legislation,—that scientific discovery is the proper province of private resources,—for extending the range of scientific dis- individual earnestness and enthusiasm, which no application of covery ? Obviously the cost of investigations of which every

public money can do much to stimulate, and no State neglect citizen may reap, and all our posterity must reap, the can do much to discourage or prevent. It is with. this objee- fruits, should come out of the common purse. Who can

tion that we here propose to deal. dispute that, if it is the duty of Government to survey the Now we are by no means concerned to deny that it would British Islands, it is also its duty to contribute what a wealthy be a perfectly legitimate and natural thing for very rich men and ambitious and energetic, and especially a great maritime of great public spirit to fit out such expeditions on their own nation, ought to contribute towards the survey of that account, and so to immortalize their names by connecting common international territory which lies beneath the sea ? them with discoveries which would have an important place An investigation to which the Government of the United

in the history of Science as long As that history had any States, Sweden, and Germany — the last scarcely, in any interest for man. As far as we can see, it would be perfectly sense, a maritime country—are contributing with zeal,— natural for the same sort of public spirit which used to impel indeed, the United States are fitting out two great rich Athenians to lavish their wealth in artistic amusements expeditions for submarine investigations,—can only be for the Athenian people, to impel rich Englishmen to lavish neglected by England at the cost of a real sacrifice of their wealth on the prosecution of the wonderful and exciting intellectual prestige and of reputation for moral and social investigations which physical science has recently started. energy. If the determination of the physical geography of the But then every man of wealth must be the judge of his own globe and of the law of ocean currents affects any nation duties in this matter, and we cannot pretend to demand from upon earth, it is our nation that it affects chiefly. To show any of them a sacrifice which it is quite conceivable that it ourselves backward in the work of discovery which now lies might not even be right for some of them to make. Besides, before these expeditions, would be to abdicate our true place even if individual munificence were to throw itself heart and in an enterprise as full of intellectual promise as it is both soul into such investigations,—on which we can never count,— glorious and pacific.

even then the State could furnish, far more economically than The 'laissez-faire' school of economy has done much any millionaire, the means of pursuing these investigations mischief in one respect,—it has filled the heads of a large successfully. The ready organization and many of the finest number of the middle-class with a thoroughly unreasoned and instruments most suitable for such an investigation the State unreasonable prepossession that the less governments meddle already possesses, while in the case of an individual discoverer with any but their most necessary and ordinary concerns, the they would have to be naade on purpose for the work. And not better. Now, everyone who understands the ground of that only, therefore, does the State command very special advent- economical prepossession knows that it rests exclusively on the ages for such a competition, but that which in the case of well-known mischief of attempting to do on a large scale, individual munificence would be a mere act of generosity for without the stimulus of self-interest, for society in general, which the public could press no claim, may easily be shown to what the individual members of that society will do, with the be, on the part of the State, at least a far more obvious duty stimulus of self-interest, very much better for themselves. than many others of its admitted obligations. But, this conceded, as of course it must be conceded, nothing It will be admitted, we suppose, that it is the duty of the can be more absurd than to infer from it that the nation State to provide for the nation authenticated money, standards cannot do many things better through its government than of weight and measure, lighthouses, observatories, the means it can do them without its government. The letter- of fixing the true time at a given meridian, of telling the carrying of the State is one of the simplest and most moment of high and low tide on every day of the year at any instructive instances of the advantage of a central monopoly port in the kingdom, of anticipating the time of eclipses, of for the discharge of certain functions of society which are use- calculating the exact passage of the moon amongst the heavenly ful to all. But precisely the same advantage attaches to the bodies, of mapping out the whole country on the same use of its administrative authority, and of the nautical and scale (Ordnance surveys), of restoring and preserving scientific apparatus belonging to the State for the survey of great public monuments, of publishing in a fit form the ocean, instead, of asking individuals to create over again the historical records of the past so far as they are very inferior instruments for the discharge of the same

lately to be long ago extinct. There is, therefore, no ques- functions of government which all hold in esteem, the enforce-

tion at all as to the prospect of reaping a very rich crop of ment of order, the administration of juetice, the organization of scientific facts from these investigations. The only objection our physical and moral forces, the guardianship of common health that can be seriously raised to the grant of the paltry £15,000 and common knowledge, which win for Government its title to a year or so needed for three or four years for this most im- universal respect and deference. And who can dispute that we portent investigation, is the theoretic objection that it is not ought to add to these common functions the supply of means for the Government to apply the " hard-earned wages " of which Government alone commands fully,--or at least, cone- the people to purposes not directly contemplated as essential mends at so much less a cost than individuals that there would either to the preservation of order or the advancement of sound be an obvious waste and superfluity in providing them out of legislation,—that scientific discovery is the proper province of private resources,—for extending the range of scientific dis- individual earnestness and enthusiasm, which no application of covery ? Obviously the cost of investigations of which every

public money can do much to stimulate, and no State neglect citizen may reap, and all our posterity must reap, the can do much to discourage or prevent. It is with. this objee- fruits, should come out of the common purse. Who can

tion that we here propose to deal. dispute that, if it is the duty of Government to survey the Now we are by no means concerned to deny that it would British Islands, it is also its duty to contribute what a wealthy be a perfectly legitimate and natural thing for very rich men and ambitious and energetic, and especially a great maritime of great public spirit to fit out such expeditions on their own nation, ought to contribute towards the survey of that account, and so to immortalize their names by connecting common international territory which lies beneath the sea ? them with discoveries which would have an important place An investigation to which the Government of the United

in the history of Science as long As that history had any States, Sweden, and Germany — the last scarcely, in any interest for man. As far as we can see, it would be perfectly sense, a maritime country—are contributing with zeal,— natural for the same sort of public spirit which used to impel indeed, the United States are fitting out two great rich Athenians to lavish their wealth in artistic amusements expeditions for submarine investigations,—can only be for the Athenian people, to impel rich Englishmen to lavish neglected by England at the cost of a real sacrifice of their wealth on the prosecution of the wonderful and exciting intellectual prestige and of reputation for moral and social investigations which physical science has recently started. energy. If the determination of the physical geography of the But then every man of wealth must be the judge of his own globe and of the law of ocean currents affects any nation duties in this matter, and we cannot pretend to demand from upon earth, it is our nation that it affects chiefly. To show any of them a sacrifice which it is quite conceivable that it ourselves backward in the work of discovery which now lies might not even be right for some of them to make. Besides, before these expeditions, would be to abdicate our true place even if individual munificence were to throw itself heart and in an enterprise as full of intellectual promise as it is both soul into such investigations,—on which we can never count,— glorious and pacific.

even then the State could furnish, far more economically than The 'laissez-faire' school of economy has done much any millionaire, the means of pursuing these investigations mischief in one respect,—it has filled the heads of a large successfully. The ready organization and many of the finest number of the middle-class with a thoroughly unreasoned and instruments most suitable for such an investigation the State unreasonable prepossession that the less governments meddle already possesses, while in the case of an individual discoverer with any but their most necessary and ordinary concerns, the they would have to be naade on purpose for the work. And not better. Now, everyone who understands the ground of that only, therefore, does the State command very special advent- economical prepossession knows that it rests exclusively on the ages for such a competition, but that which in the case of well-known mischief of attempting to do on a large scale, individual munificence would be a mere act of generosity for without the stimulus of self-interest, for society in general, which the public could press no claim, may easily be shown to what the individual members of that society will do, with the be, on the part of the State, at least a far more obvious duty stimulus of self-interest, very much better for themselves. than many others of its admitted obligations. But, this conceded, as of course it must be conceded, nothing It will be admitted, we suppose, that it is the duty of the can be more absurd than to infer from it that the nation State to provide for the nation authenticated money, standards cannot do many things better through its government than of weight and measure, lighthouses, observatories, the means it can do them without its government. The letter- of fixing the true time at a given meridian, of telling the carrying of the State is one of the simplest and most moment of high and low tide on every day of the year at any instructive instances of the advantage of a central monopoly port in the kingdom, of anticipating the time of eclipses, of for the discharge of certain functions of society which are use- calculating the exact passage of the moon amongst the heavenly ful to all. But precisely the same advantage attaches to the bodies, of mapping out the whole country on the same use of its administrative authority, and of the nautical and scale (Ordnance surveys), of restoring and preserving scientific apparatus belonging to the State for the survey of great public monuments, of publishing in a fit form the ocean, instead, of asking individuals to create over again the historical records of the past so far as they are very inferior instruments for the discharge of the same

the property of the State, of educating the neglected duties. Moreover, Government can command, as no children of the poor, and of compelling the parents to forego private expedition could command, the precise combination selfish gain at the expense of their children's intelligence. Now, of knowledge and talent essential to turn all these scion- if we ask what is the common principle of such State duties tific instruments to good advantage, and to secure the i as these, t may be said to be the attainment of ends directly confidence of the nation for the results attained. Every or indirectly beneficial to the whole community or its man, woman, and child in the United Kingdom is in- posterity, which could not be attained with anything like the terested in the result precisely on the same ground on which same certainty and security, at anything like the same small they are interested in the spread of education and the elevation cost, or with anything like the same wide-spread advantage, of the national character by other means. Every discovery of by private enterprise. The State acts, and rightly acts, as the a new link in the chain of creation is a now lighthouse against

organ of the whole community on all matters in which the corn- those false theories of the universe which have wrecked munity has a common interest. If it is now denied by a large so many lives in times gone by. Every enlargement part of the British people that the State has anything to do of the intellectual horizon of our life is new air and with religious teaching, it is only because on that subject the happiness to thousands of living beings ; every real addition to various elements of our society are so profoundly at variance, speculative science may involve hundreds of resulting additions to the practical arts,—just as the theory of ocean currents once mastered will probably teach us something of atmospheric currents also, and will certainly add to the safety of marine, if not also of aerial navigation.

But besides this, the gradual enlargement of the beneficent part of the work of government, as distinguished from the merely disciplinarian and self-preserving part of it, brings home a new sense of dignity and meaning to the public life • of a people. If even we are not to have much longer a State Church in the religious sense, the contributions of the State to common knowledge would be at least a not wholly worthless substitute. There is, in the disinterested pursuit even of scientific truth, an aim worthy of the

• highest national enthusiasm ; and great results arrived at in this direction by the economical expenditure of the people's money, will do not a little to make the nation proud of the administrative organization which, incidentally to its main ends, can achieve so much that is a gain for all time. An Admiralty which, when not required to encounter the .enemy, can grapple bravely with Nature's greatest obstacles, and extend successfully the domain of human knowledge, will certainly be more popular than one which, when it is not asked to guide the struggle with a foe, ceases to struggle with anything at all. A national expedition which really advanced by a great stride the theory of the earth and its history, would be very justly a most popular expedition, and one of which English children would soon hear in their new schools with laudable pride. To maintain that it is right 4o spend public money in publishing the records of the Tudor period or the Stuart period, and that it is wasteful to spend it on investigating and publishing the records of Creative .energy for ages before man lived upon the earth, is a paradox which should find no adherents. Our great observatories and

• our public collections of natural curiosities are already, and very rightly, amongst the most popular of the creations of Government ; that we should devote a little national energy to carrying forward to new and quite untrodden ground the great series of observations and illustrations to which we owe the present high position of English physical science, is a proposal which it seems to us almost impossible, by any argu- ments worth a moment's notice, to controvert. The prosecu- tion of this great investigation on a fitting scale by the Government would add a new distinction to the achievements of our administrative organization, and make our people just a little prouder than ever of bearing the British name.