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# THE INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM
## AND COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE.
country which a single intelligent traveller can give us. The solitary example of Livingstone is sufficient for my purpose. He had far fewer advantages, before he left this country, as I who was his fellow student know well, than could be placed at the disposal of travellers nowadays; but he made himself as skilful as he could in the knowledge likely to be serviceable to him in Africa, and he turned it all to excellent account.
Some of our industrialists have discovered the importance of systematically employing trained agents abroad, and have profited by the discovery. Foremost among them are the horticulturists and florists of the country, who have long been in the habit of sending skilful practical botanists to distant regions to select and send home their rare and useful plants. Those whom I address are familiar, I presume, with one or more of the works on China by Mr. Robert Fortune, formerly attached to the Botanic Garden here; and know how much he has done to introduce Chinese plants into this country, as well as into India.
Recently, this example has been followed, in even a more interesting way, by the great English firm, Price's Candle Company, who have published directions for the use of all visitants of distant lands who care to look out for plants yielding wax, butter, or oil, and desire to form on the spot some notion of their value, as sources of candle and lamp-fuel, and as elements of importance in the soap-manufacture.
This example has in turn been followed by the energetic scientific officers and civilians in India, in all the Presidencies. One of those gentlemen in particular, Dr. A. Hunter of Madras, has drawn up rules for the selection and treatment of textile fibres from new plants found in the East, which would serve for the guidance of searchers for such in all parts of the world.
Next to the horticulturists, in recognition of the principle under notice, are the metallurgists. The great metal merchants of Birmingham despatch over the world skilful mineralogists to seek for precious ores. One former assistant and friend of mine is at present in Spain on such a search; another, who knows all the mines of Northern Europe, is, whilst I speak, sailing to Chili on a similar errand.
I may also refer here to the volume of Lectures on Gold, published by the Government School of Mines in London a few years ago, as a guide to the multitudes of our countrymen flocking at that time to the gold fields of Australia. It illustrated the perfect possibility of equipping travellers intellectually for