president's address. 479 



History Society of Metz, with Arthur Morellet's descriptions, or 

 how difficult it would be to obtain Menke's Latin pamphlet on 

 the Mollusca of New Holland, published in Hanover. A valuable 

 pamphlet of Menge's on the Mineralogy of South Australia is as 

 difficult to meet with as an Elzevir Sallust. I have never been 

 able to meet with Leschenault de la Tor's Notice of the vegetation 

 of New Holland (Paris, 1824), and I don't think a copy of 

 Meinicke's Das Festland Australien (Prenzlau, 1837) is to be 

 found in Australia. But now our workers are amongst ourselves, 

 and our work for the most part is to be found in Australian 

 publications which are easily accessible. Time will not permit 

 me to refer at any length to the learned Societies of the various 

 Colonies, but I cannot help specially noticing the advance and 

 improvement of two. Just as Professor Liversidge has infused 

 new life into the Royal Society of New South Wales, so Professor 

 Tate has done for the almost defunct Philosophical Society of 

 South Australia. The Tasmanian Royal Society has improved 

 remarkably within the last few years in the number and value of 

 its original papers. In Melbourne the very useful Microscopical 

 Society, which had lapsed into inactivity, has been re-organized, 

 and rendered most effective and serviceable by the energy of its 

 secretary, Mr. Goldstein. This gentleman has long been known 

 to me as one of the most painstaking and conscientious observers 

 in marine zoology. His especial province has been on the animals 

 of our Polyzoa, a completely untrodden field. In conjunction 

 with Mr. Maplestone, of Portland, Victoria, he has observed and 

 drawn a considerable number of the forms inhabiting the cells of 

 Catenicettidce, about which nothing was p r eviously known. 

 Altogether the "Proceedings of the Melbourne Microscopical 

 Society," which are nowpublished, form a valuable and interesting 

 addition to our colonial scientific annuals. The Royal Society of 

 Victoria still keeps up a certain position in the scientific annals 

 of the Colony. It is much to be regretted that the scientific men 

 in Victoria do not take a more active interest in a Society which 



