PRESIDENT S ADDKESS, » 



come a Presbyterian Minister, he received a charge in the Richmond River dis- 

 trict, where he hud great facilities for his special botanical studies. Later, he 

 settled in the Sydney district, at Gladesville, and was Honorary Custodian of 

 Ferns and Mosses in the National Herbarium from 1909 till 1916, when lie left 

 for Melbourne. He was liberal in his contributions to the National Herbarium, 

 and after his death, which took place at Canterbury, Victoria, on 20th Septem- 

 ber, 1920, his collection of ferns and mosses, which containe<l a large number of 

 types, was purchased for that institution. 



He was a member of this Society from 1912 to 1919, and contributed 14 

 pa])ers, in addition to 5 joint papers, during the years 1899 to 1918. The ma- 

 jority of these dealt with Australian Mosses and Hepatics, adding considerably to 

 our knowledge of these groups in Australia. I am indebted to Mr. J. H. 

 Maiden for very kindly supplying much of the above information. 



Two more of our older Members, Messrs. A. A. Hamilton and H. G. 

 Smith, have joined tiiose who have retired from their official duties. Mr. 

 Hamilton has for a number of years been Botanical Assistant at the Botanic 

 Gardens, and has taken especial interest in the ecological side of botanical work. 

 Mr. Smith has been associated with Mr. R. T. Baker at the Technological 

 Museum, where their joint researches, such as those on the Eucalypts and Pines 

 of Australia, have commanded worldwide notice, and have done much to foster 

 the development of the economic possibilities of portions of the Australian flora. 



To Mr. R. T. Baker, who has recently been h<moured by the award of the 

 Mueller Memorial Medal by the Australasitui Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, I would offer on behalf of Members, very cordial congratulations. Mr. 

 Baker's work is well known to us, and it is particularly appropriate that his 

 botanical researches should be recognised by this award which connnemorates the 

 work of one of the most 'distinguished Australian Botanists. Previous recipients of 

 the medal include A. W. Howitf (1904), J. P. Hill (1907), T. W. Edgeworth 

 David (1909), R. Etheridge, -Jr. (1911), and W. Howchin (191.3). three of them 

 having been Members of this Society. 



To the following Members we offer our cordial con gTatulat ions and good 

 wishes: — Dr. Robert Broom, a CoiTesponding Member, on his election as a Fellow 

 of the Royal Society; Sir Edgeworth David and Mr. ,T. H. Campbell on the 

 honour conferred on them by His Majesty the King in their inclusion in the list 

 of recipients of Honours of tli« British Empire Order; Professor ,1. T. Wilson, 

 on his appointment as Regius Professor of Anatomy in the University of Cam- 

 liridge; Professor H. G. Chapman, on his appointment as Professor of Physio- 

 logy in the University of Sydney in succession to the late Professor Anderson 

 Stuart; Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, on his appointment as Headmaster of the Sydney 

 Grammar School; Dr. E. W. Ferguson, who has been appointed Principal 

 Microbiologist in succession to Professor .J. B. Cleland; Dr. H. Priestly, on his 

 appointment as Associate Professor of Physiology in the University of Sydney; 

 Dr. C. Anderson, on his selection for the important position of Director of the 

 Australian Museum; and Mr. C. Hedley, on his appointment as Principal Keeper 

 of the Zoological Collections in the same Institution. 



The year's work of the Society's research staff may be summarised thus : 



Dr. I?. Greig-Smith, Madeay Bacteriologist to tlie Society, contributed one 

 paper, "Ropiness in Wattle Bark Infusions," which appeared in Part i. of the 

 Proceedings for 1920. A further examination was made of the bacteria con- 

 tained in nodules at the base of Eucalyptus seedlings; a varied flora was obtained 



