Vlll

INTRODUCTION.

and circumstance, which can alone relieve thetimidity so incident to the support of a point,where private interest, and obdurate custom,appear too bold for any reasonable hopes ofsuccess.

Under these considerations the obstacleswhich would otherwise intimidate the inter-ference of mere argumentative humanity, appearbut as the natural ascents to a great and com-manding eminence~an eminence whereon thelatent principles of science will mutually con-verge, and dissipate the gloom which still sounaccountably pervades one feature of our in-ternal polity.

Conscious of the prejudices which obstructthe progress of humanity and improvement,it is with pleasure that I contemplate thosebenefits which may be expected to result toa certain class of mankind from the adoptionof improvements, and the institution of re-gulations tending to destroy the baneful originof all their calamities. That calamity fromexplosion has long been the destroyer of