638 president's address. 



On June 12th, 1895, a similar meeting was held by the New 

 York Board of Trade and Transportation, and after discussion of 

 the larger aspects of the subject the following resolutions were 

 unanimously adopted : — 

 Whereas, The welfare and the commercial interests of the entire country 



are closely related to the preservation and proper management of the 



|)ul.lic forests. 



Hesolved, That n^ a first step to a permanent and scientific forest policy, we 

 heartily favour the creation by Congress of a National Forest Com- 

 mission with the following objects : — 



1. To study the public timber lands, reserves and parks, on the ground. 



2. To ascertain their condition and extent. 



3. To ascertain their relation to the public welfare and to existing local 



needs of the people as regards agricultural and the supply of wood for 

 mining, transportation and other purposes. 



4. To ascertain what portions of the public timber lands should remain as 



such in view of the agricultural, mining, lumbering and other interests 

 of the people. 



5. To prepare a plan for the general management of the public timber 



lands in accordance with the principles of forestry. 



6. To recommend the necessary legislation ; and 



Resolved, That the Special Conmiittee on Forestry be directed to communi- 

 cate with other commercial bodies and with Congress in furtherance 

 of conceited action on this important question at the next session." 



The study of the fossil remains of plant life of past ages in this 

 country has of late years received some attention. Professor 

 Ettingshausen, of Graz, has had the lion's share in this work, and 

 as he has expressed views as to the origin of the vegetation of 

 Australia, and of the rest of the world, which appear to be 

 entirely erroneous, and as they appear to be tacitly accepted by 

 Professor Tate in his Inaugural Address to the Adelaide meeting 

 of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 

 I desire to say some words on the subject, in the hope that some 

 of our New South Wales Botanists and Palaeontologists may take 

 the matter up and corroborate or disprove the deductions which, 

 in my opinion, can be made. 



