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conveyed to the mind; to trace in them the object and skill of their authors, and the social requirement in which they had their birth; to apply all this by the aid of History, and to compare the state of society which they revealed with that which now exists. Thus we might learn in what we surpass, and in what we fall short of, our ancestors. We should learn to respect the past, because we should find that all knowledge and practical skill are by no means confined to our own age; and that, notwithstanding the immense advances which we have recently witnessed, we must not be sure that we see the greatest development of intellect hitherto unseen by the world. Proceeding with his subject, Mr. Rock said it was his wish rather to suggest ideas than to satisfy curiosity — to stimulate the spirit of enquiry rather than to arrive at definite conclusions. The recent researches of Mr. Layard on the site of Ancient Nineveh were noticed at some length, and the inferences to be drawn from the results were dwelt upon, occasional comparisons being made between the civilisation of the Assyrians as thus revealed and that of our own times. Passing from distinct lands and remote epochs to our own country and our own times, we might ask ourselves what testimony will they bear to posterity? Perhaps the most striking feature was a development of intellectual activity and capacity with constructive skill; and as those things which have most contributed to social progress appear to have had their origin in this development of mental faculties, it might seem that it is the prime mover of social progress. It was necessary to consider the motive in order to guard against a fallacious inference. Mr. Rock then adduced arguments to show that these mental faculties are only the media, and not the conclusive evidences of civilisation, except as they may be applied in a manner tending to that end. The real source in which most of the material evidences have had their origin, so far as man is concerned has been that of want or the perception of deficiency — not the want that man feels because he is a man, but that which he feels because he is a member of society. In proportion to the clearness with which the nature of the want and the means of supplying it are pierced, so is the degree of advancement in any given case. The lecturer then gave a review of our present social condition, judging it according to the rules laid down. He noticed favourably the attempt to establish baths, wash houses, artizans’ homes and model lodging-houses on self-supporting principles, as well as other endeavours to elevate the compound creature man by providing for his grosser elements as well as his moral elements. He could not avoid noticing the darker side of the picture. What could be said of the people who buried their -