PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 127 



next Meeting. The resume of the year's work was so clearly given in 

 the Report that it did not need auy further reference from him, and ho 

 was sure all were satisfied that the Journal had heen carried on with an 

 ability that made them feel proud of it. He would say further that he 

 was extremely glad that two important pieces of work had been done 

 during his period of office as President. The property of the Society 

 consisted of its Library and its instruments, and both these had been 

 carefully examined, arranged, and catalogued. Hitherto they had no 

 proper list of the instruments and apparatus, but Mr. Rousselet, with 

 the assistance of Mr. Nelson, had gone carefully over the entire collec- 

 tion, and had made a complete catalogue, whilst every piece had been 

 engraved with the initials of the Society and a consecutive number to 

 facilitate reference. As regarded the books, they were extremely 

 obliged to Mr. Eadley, who had taken this matter in hand, and with the 

 assistance of Members of the Council, had gone over the whole, and 

 got rid of a large quantity of books and papers which were of no value 

 to the Society, for which they obtained some money. The Library had 

 been arranged, and an excellent card catalogue made of the entire col- 

 lection. He thought that the Library was not made so much use of by 

 the Fellows as it might be ; it contained a large number of valuable 

 works of reference of great use to anyone making researches on subjects 

 connected with the early history of scientific work. The only thing 

 which seemed to want mending was their annual income. Their Journal 

 had continued to give them a valuable resume of all the most important 

 observations and discoveries made in connection with the Microscope 

 both here in this country and abroad. The improvements connected 

 with the Microscope were brought under the notice of the Members by 

 the London makers, who were amongst the most able makers of Micro- 

 scopes in the world. In the great value of the Journal, as well as the 

 interesting exhibitions and subjects brought before their meetings, he 

 thought they had abundant reason for inducing persons to join the 

 Society. He then gave, as his Annual Address, a very interesting 

 resume of the scientific work of Nehemiah Grew, 1641-1712, whom he 

 ably defended from the charges of plagiarism which had been brought 

 against him in respect to his discoveries as to plant life and structure. 



Dr. Braithwaite rose to move, " That the best thanks of the Society 

 be given to the President for his address, and that he would allow it to 

 be printed in the Journal in the usual way." It had been a great plea- 

 sure to him personally to hear the very interesting reference which had 

 been made to one of the great fathers of their sciences, and he thought 

 there were many things to be found in their writings which might be 

 taken as examples by those who were now carrying on the work. They 

 might remember that before 1750, when Linnaaus invented the binomial 

 nomenclature for animals and plants, they were recognised by a short 

 descriptive character, and a contemporary of Grew — born indeed in 

 the same year — John Eay, may be cited for the apt descriptions of 

 one or two lines, which embodied the most striking features of each 

 plant, though sadly inconvenient for quotation. He was sure it would 

 be of great service to students to have their attention directed to the 

 work of these early writers who had laid the foundations upon which 

 much of the work done in the last century was carried on. 



