president's address. 621 



In his address last year my predecessor, Professor David, fur- 

 nished full particulars of what, it was supposed, was the final 

 settlement — so far at least as this Society was concerned — of 

 matters relating to the late Sir William Macleay's bequest for the 

 endowment of a lectureship in Bacteriology. It was with some 

 surpijise, therefore, that in July last the Council received from the 

 Senate of the Sydney University an intimation of its intention 

 to relinquish the bequest, and to return the money to the 

 executors. This was subsequently done, and the money paid by 

 the executors into Court. On October 15th, 1895, on the petition 

 of the Society, the Chief Judge in Equity made an order for the 

 payment to the Society of the sum in question, less costs, namely, 

 <£12,704. This amount represents Sir William's original bequest 

 of £12,000, less legacy duty and law costs, plus interest accruing 

 on fixed deposit from the time of the receipt of the money by the 

 University until that of its repayment to the executors. 



It devolves upon the Council, as the managers of the Society's 

 affairs to provide for the investment and to keep invested the money 

 to the best advantage; and out of the income to pay a competent 

 Bacteriologist, and provide and maintain a suitable laboratory 

 and appliances. 



The clause of the Memorandum attached tp Sir William 

 Macleay's will is as follows : — " Should the Senate decline all 

 or any of these conditions I empower my executors to hand over 

 the aforesaid sum of twelve thousand pounds to the Linnean 

 Society of New South Wales to provide a sufficient salary by the 

 year to a competent Bacteriologist who shall be called the 

 Bacteriologist to the Linnean Society and whose duties shall be to 

 conduct original research in the Laboratory of the Society and to 

 give instruction to one or two pupils at the discretion and under 

 the orders and control of the Council of the Society any surplus 

 to be applied to laboratory requirements." 



Thus it will be seen that the Council is left with discretionary 

 powers in fixing both the amount of the Bacteriologist's salary, 

 and the date of his appointment. In determining the first 

 of these points, the Council has had to be guided by the 



