president's address. 1307 



Catholic Schools of that colony. He afterwards became a 

 missionary priest in New South Wales, with Sydney as his 

 head quarters. In 1883, on the invitation of Sir F. A. Weld, 

 Iv.C.]\[.G., Governor of the Straits Settlements, he proceeded to 

 Singapore in order to explore Malacca and furnish the Government 

 with some reliable information as to its geology and mineral 

 resources. On his way thither he stayed for a time in Java, and 

 was witness to one part of the eruptive outbreak at Krakatoa. 

 He ascended two of the volcanoes while they were in eruption, 

 and his experiences, as detailed in a private letter, were such as 

 to determine him not to try the experiment again. His descrip- 

 tion of the scenes he encountered whilst passing through the 

 Straits of Sunda was shocking. The sea was literally covered 

 with corpses. However, it did not discourage him from adventures 

 in other parts of the East, not less hazardous than the ascent of 

 active volcanoes. Mr. Woods traversed the island of Java from 

 end to end, and performed the same arduous task through Siam 

 and Malacca, in each of which places he enriched the scientific 

 literature of the world with his observations on the geology and 

 botany of the regions he passed through. Sir Frederick Weld, 

 shortly after Mr. Wood's arrival in Singapore, left the colony on 

 leave, but before his departure he furnished Mr. Woods with 

 credentials to the native princes, who assisted him in every way 

 they could. Before he left Singapore the Colonial Secretary of 

 that colony advised the British Government of the arrival of the 

 Rev. Mr. Woods, and urged the desirableness of engaging his 

 services to report to the Admiralty upon the coal resources of the 

 eastern seas. The Admiralty accordingly detached from the naval 

 squadron in the China Seas the Corvette " H.M. Pegasus," 

 Captain Bickford, to enable Mr. Woods to make the necessary 

 investigations. He thus visited and explored many parts of 

 Borneo, Siam, Malacca, the Philippine Islands and other places. 

 His reports to the Admiralty have not been made public, but their 

 value was recognized in the munificent way in which Mr. Woods 

 was rewarded for his investigations and descriptions. In a 

 private letter from one of the principal naval officers on the 



