The Presidtnfs Address. 69 



till the January meeting. A few words indicating the object espe- 

 cially pointed at. the questions they are calculated to throw light 

 upon, and so forth, could soon be put into shape by me ; but it would 

 be impossible for me to devote more than a very brief period daily to 

 the task, and to do it at all by Saturday next is impossible. I should 

 also like to oifer a few remarks (the last, in all probability, I shall 

 ever make on subjects of the kind) on the drawings. These would 

 greatly help any observers who might wish to work out the history 

 of structures referred to, and, both in the case of the slides and 

 figures, would save others a vast deal of trou.ble. Now I know each 

 slide and drawing as if they were old, well-known friends, and to me 

 the labour would be but trifling. It is the time I want, and there is 

 no way of gaining this except by the delay I speak of. 



" But pray accept this only as a suggestion, meant to do good in 

 the end. If you would rather your original idea of presenting the 

 things to the Society at the next meeting were carried out, I shall be 

 quite willing and happy to be guided by you. Under any circum- 

 stances I hold myself j3?ec?^ecZ to do as you and Mr. Glaisher wish in 

 the matter." 



After thisj at an interview with Mr. Ince and Dr. Wal- 

 lich, I having expressed my desire that, as the sHdes and 

 draA^dngs had relation to subjects of natural history carefully 

 collected and as carefully studied by him in different parts 

 of the world, I should be glad if he would classify and ex- 

 plain the collection of the slides and drawings, and, if possi- 

 ble, have such a description ready for my address to-day. I 

 regret to say that, since then, Dr. Wallich has been con- 

 tinuously ill, and unable to do so ; but I do hope still that 

 he will enrich our Procedings by such a description, which I 

 feel would greatly enhance the interest and value, and 

 perhaps act as a guide to their usefulness in the future. 



By the report of the Cabinet Committee, it will be seen 

 that they are engaged in rearranging, reclassifying, and they 

 contemplate relabelling every slide. This will necessitate the 

 printing of a new Catalogue. 



I would now call your attention to the state of our Instru- 

 ments. Upon examining them, preparatory to placing them 

 in our new Library, many pieces of apparatus were found 

 wanting. For instance, from the old microscope, by A. Ross, 

 there were wanting — frog plate, two large animalculse cases, 

 case of animalculse tubes, -^ object-glass, cabinet micrometer, 

 1-inch Lieberklihn, single lens cover, case of single lenses. 



Since then, Andrew Ross' instrument has been put into 

 thorough working order, and the objectives have been 

 adapted to the Society's screw. 



Mr. Thomas Ross has presented us with a new 4-inch 

 objective. 



Mr. Wray has presented us with a ^rd-inch objective, 

 having 50° of angle of aperture. 



