6 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



the lasso. Every remembrance of my intercourse with that 

 wonderful man burns like a lighted lamp."* 



Mr. King died at Sydney on 5th August, 1904. 



The last published List of Members was issued in 1900. This 

 shows the state of the Roll at the end of that year, and com- 

 prises the names of 120 Ordinary Members. During the interval 

 of four years, forty- three additional members were elected. 

 After deducting the names of those who have been lost to the 

 Society by death or resignation from the total of 1G3, there 

 remain upon the Roll the names of 31 Members whose subscrip- 

 tions are in arrears for two years and upwards, and who have 

 made no response to the usual reminders issued from time to 

 time, thus leaving a balance of about 110 Members who are 

 effective or not beyond hope in this respect. 



Of the 110 Ordinary Members, 16 reside in the countr}', 10 

 in other States (Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and New 

 Zealand), four in Europe, and three in Honolulu, leaving a balance 

 of about 77 resident in the metropolitan area. B}' wa}' of com- 

 parison, it is interesting to know that the Hon. Treasurer's book 

 shows that when the Society was founded, subscriptions were 

 received from 102 Original Members during the interval of less 

 than three months between the preliminary Meeting of Novem- 

 ber 5th, 1874, and the First General Meeting of January 11th, 

 1875. Before the close of the Session, 55 additional Members 

 were enrolled, giving a total of 157 effective Members for the 

 first year of the Society's scientific career. 



Thirty years ago the number of men of science in New South 

 Wales was very limited. The Universit}^ was only partially 

 developed on the scientific side, and not at all on the medical 

 side. Our Museums, and the State Departments whose opera- 

 tions need to be conducted mainly by scientific men, were similarly 

 more or less undeveloped. Yet in looking over the earliest Lists 

 of the Members of this Society, one cannot fail to notice the 

 names of a very considerable number of men of influence and 



* Jouiu. Proc. Eoyal Soc. N. 8. Wales, xvii. ISSo, p.216. 



