The Minutes of this Society I have before me. Each member in turn “had to provide a subject for the consideration of the Society, and might propose either an extract for criticism, an outline for composition, or a question for discussion.” The subjects were, on the whole, very well chosen. They certainly would contrast favourably with those which used to be debated in the Union Society of Oxford in my undergraduate days. The following is the list of the subjects provided by Rowland Hill:—_Are Importation Duties beneficial to Society or otherwise?_ _Paper Currency_; _Instinct_; _The Fine Arts_; _The Political Effects of Machinery_; _Inductive Philosophy, as applied to the Common Affairs of Life_; _The Effects of the Extension of Education_; _Duelling_; _The Constitution of Minor Societies_; _The Qualities Necessary to Produce Success in Life_; _Rank_; _Public Opinion_; _The Economy of Time_. Among the subjects introduced by other members, I find:—_A Critical Review of Miss Edgeworth’s “Ormond”_; _The Possibility of the Introduction of a Philosophical Language_; _The Means we Possess of Judging of Others_; _The Study of Languages_; _Critical Remarks upon a portion of Kenilworth_; _Is it better to Admit or Exclude the Representation of Death on the Stage?_ _Is the Acquirement of Literary Attainments Prejudicial to Commercial Pursuits?_ In other ways, moreover, he was steadily training his mind and increasing his knowledge. Thus I find recorded in his Journal:— “_April 20th, 1818._—This morning I began to learn French, in company with William Matthews.[33] We are to meet at our house every other morning at five o’clock, and study till seven. We do not at present intend to have a teacher; perhaps when we have gained a little knowledge of the language we may apply to one. As my time is so valuable to me, I intend to spend one of our vacations in France, when I have made a considerable progress in the language, as that will be the most rapid way of learning. * * * * * “_May 25th._—We have discontinued the French for the present, as William Matthews is obliged to give his attention to some other pursuit.” Some two or three years later is the following entry:— “At Christmas I had an attack of my old complaint—the ear-ache—which confined me to the house for a fortnight. However, I turned the time to advantage by reading French with such industry that, although I knew but little of the language when I began, yet at the end of the fortnight I could read it with sufficient ease as to be amused by it. I recollect that in one day I read a hundred pages of ‘Gil Blas,’ closely printed in small type.”