president's address. 711 



short time at my disposal, seems wonderful, and which affords 

 undoubted proof of the industry and zeal of my staff of collectors. 

 For it must be remembered that, though the full time of my 

 intended absence from Sydney has expired, the actual time avail- 

 able for the purposes of the voyage was much less than I calculated 

 on. The ' Chevert,' though a good, dry, and comfortable ship, 

 was unable to sail against the wind, and it was so constantly 

 against us during a great part of the expedition that I do not 

 think we had more than sixty days for collecting during the five 

 months' cruize." 



Though this expedition was in some .measure disappointing — 

 the plans formed before starting not having been fully carried 

 out — yet the result in the acquisition of new and rare objects of 

 natural history of all kinds were very rich. Most of the new 

 forms have since been described, though there are still some 

 groups awaiting investigation. But for many years Macleay 

 was constantly adding to his collection from sources nearer 

 home — having skilled men collecting for him in various parts of 

 Australia, and haviug for years a taxidermist and articulator, as 

 well as his curator, working in his private Museum. The result 

 was the accumulation of a large collection, embracing all depart- 

 ments of Zoology, which was always accessible' to those desiring 

 to make use of it for purposes of research. 



This generril collection, together with his unrivalled collection 

 of Australian and other insects, partly inherited from William 

 Sharpe Macleay, partly accumulated by himself, he presented, as 

 you are aware, two years ago to the University, stipulating only 

 that a suitable building should be provided, and that the collection 

 should be accessible to members of the Linnean Society of New 

 South Wales and to students of natural science generally, as well 

 as to students of the University. Together with the collections 

 he presented the sum of £6000, the interest of which serves for 

 the salary of the curator. A large, though, unfortunately, not 

 very handsome, building was erected by the Government at the 

 request of the Senate of the University, and the collections were 

 transferred thither in the course of the year before last. The 



