638 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, JANUARY 27Tn, 188L 



AV. J. Stcplieny, Esq., M.A., Vice-President, iu the Chair. 



Dr. Alexandri of the University of Pisa, and Mr. Whittle, 

 were introduced as visitors. 



PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



On behalf of the President, the Yice-President read the 

 following address : — The time has again come round when the 

 duty devolves upon me to deliver the Annual Address to the 

 members of this Society. In doing so, I must first congratulate 

 3^ou on its steady and substantial progress. During the past 

 year we have issued a volume which will bear comparison with 

 aijy scientific serial for the extent and importance of the matter 

 contained. It has been most favourably received by the colonial 

 Press, and many letters from scientific friends in Europe bear 

 testimony to the high estimation in which our publication is held. 

 The volume for the past year will, I am sure, be equal in interest 

 to the last. Tlie numbers of our members are also on the increase. 

 Our exchanges with other Societies have augmented to that extent 

 that we see the necessity of having rooms and a library of our 

 own ; and when that is effected we shall receive valuable aid 

 from some of our members who have already promised donations 

 of books. The attendance at our meetings has been increased. 

 It is not at any time numerous, but in this particidar we must 

 not expect a different result from what is experienced by learned 

 Societies in Europe. Proportionably the attendance is small in 

 all those meetings where purely technical science is dealt witli. 

 We do not professs to give popular lectures. Our object is tlie 

 advancement of Natural Ilistor}' by original investigations. We 

 deal with the dry technicalities of scientific diagnosis, and seldom 

 is our knowledge of facts sufiicient in Australia to enable us to 



