744 PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 



for the years mentioned contain the Bacteriologist's contributions 

 to knowledge These are not merely scientific papers published 

 by the Society, but they are also the results of investigations 

 carried out under the Society's auspices. These contributions 

 now give Bacteriology a distinct locus standi in the Annual 

 Volume. The work of Mr. Greig Smith, the Macleay Bacterio- 

 logist, during 1901, is referred to later on (p. 751). 



1. Some Botanical Reminiscences of this Society. 



In the very early days of its existence this Society was practi- 

 cally a zoological Societ3^ In his second Presidential Address, 

 delivered in January, 1876, Sir William Macleay remarked that 

 it seemed to be rather anomalous that a Society named after the 

 illustrious Linuc^eus should not have apparently a single working 

 botanist among its members. But a little consideration will show 

 that at this time Australian botanists, with the exception of 

 Baron von Mueller, were merely undergoing a period of latency, 

 pending the completion of the Flora Australiensis, the seventh 

 and concluding volume of which did not make its appearance 

 until the year 1878. Meanwhile, as long as this great work was 

 in progress, it is obvious that Australian would-be working 

 botanists could best advance the interests of science by assidu- 

 ously collecting and sending their collections to Melbourne for 

 consideration by Mr. Bentham and his collaborator. Baron von 

 Mueller, rather than by attempting to deal with them themselves. 

 Moreover, at this time, too, there was the prospect of a Supplemen- 

 tary Volume to be drawn up by Mr. Bentham; though eventually 

 this was not carried out. There was, therefore, every reason why 

 local botanists should stay their hands joending the conclusion of 

 the great English sj^stematist's labours. But in our time the 

 pendulum has swung back. Instead of the botanical proceedings 

 of this Society being confined to an exhibit or two, with an 

 occasional papei', there is now no lack of interest in the botanical 

 portion of the programme — a circumstance which continues to 

 bode well for the advancement of this branch of science in New 

 South Wales. 



