508 president's address. 



all a scientific- worker; and then later on, to undertake the role of benefactor and 

 promoter of Natural History, in the broad sense, in New South Wales? What 

 were the elemental circumstanees which shaped his career, from a scientific stand- 

 point? 



Unfortunately we have no autobiographical information, and very little in 

 the way of biographical details, which will supply satisfactory answers to these 

 ([uestions. Nevertheless, there are some records of important facts, which, when 

 one knows how to correlate them, will supply an outline of the story of his scien- 

 tific life. These will be considered later in their proper place. Just at the 

 present stage, it suffices to say that, when the facts are appreciated, it is realised 

 that William Macleay does not stand alone; but tliat, primarily, he was largely 

 the product of family influence and example; and the last and youngest of a 

 succession of Macleays interested in science, in which, under the circumstances, 

 it was natural that he should take his place. For this reason alone, the Society 

 is interested in the Macleays. But there are other reasons also. 



The Society's Hall, which it owes to the generosity of Sir William, is lucated 

 on part of the old garden, which was laid out by Alexander Macleay about ninety- 

 two years ago. The old home is in the immediate neighbourhood. Many dis- 

 tinguished visitors, who knew the occupants of Elizabeth Bay House, have left 

 records of their ^'isits and experiences. 



Alexander Macleay may be called the "Father of Zoology" in Australia. He 

 brought liis collection of insects and his library with him from England in 1825. 

 and ended his days here. When he left England, his collection was considered to 

 be the finest in the possession of a private individual. Tlie amalgamated collec- 

 tions of Alexander Macleay, W . S . Macleay, and William Macleay were presented 

 to the University of Sydney in 1889, to form the nucleus of the Macleay ]\[useum. 

 I may remind you that one of the conditions attached to the gift was — "That the 

 [Macleay] Museum should be made easily accessible to students of Natural 

 History and members of the Linnean Society of New South Wales." 



The Macleays were uninterruptedly associated with the Linnean Society of 

 London, as Fellows, for a period of ninety-seven years (1794-1891), and for 

 twenty-seven years Alexander Macleay was Secretary. For about forty-seven years 

 they were Members of the governing body of the Australian Museum or of its 

 forerunner, the Colonial Museum. 



The Society has interesting memorials of all of them, as well as of some of 

 their scientific and other friends and contemporaries. 



The two branches of the family in which we are interested have now come 

 to an end, in the direct line. In the sense in which I mean it, the Society may be 

 considered to have inherited tlie family scientific tinditions. as well as some of the 

 family possessions. 



The original sources of information of a biographical character concerning A. 

 and W. S. Macleav are brief obituary notices wliich w-ere published in the Sridney 

 Morning Herald, and the memorial notices of them, as Fellows, communicated to 

 the Linnean Society of London. Later notes in various Biographical Dictionaries 

 or elsewhere, are based on one or other of these, usually the second. It is pos- 

 sible to amplify tliese to some extent in respect of matters in which we are 

 specially interested, but tlie sources of information are fnigmentary and scattered. 

 Anytliing like detailed formal biographies, or even satisfadoiy bioLiiniihicnl 

 sketches, are not possible, from a lack of adequate material. 



