president's address. 1211 



Dr. Schuette, long and well known in Sydney, both for his 

 professional skill and for his devotion to Science, died during his 

 absence in Germany. 



Commander T. Stackhonse, R.N., who died at Rocky Mouth, 

 Clarence River, where he had been residing for eight months 

 under the kind care of Dr. Hood, must be regarded as the 

 originator of this Society, of which he was the first Honorary 

 Secretary. His special pursuit was Botany, though all branches 

 of Science, even of the most speculative, interested him to a very 

 unusual degree. After his removal from Sydney he resided for 

 some years at Yamba, in the Clarence River district, where he 

 employed himself with great success in the investigation and 

 discovery of rare or new species ; and where, unfortunately, he 

 contracted by exposure to severe weather the illness to which he 

 ultimately succumbed. 



Mr. W. Wilson, of Monaltrie, Richmond River, has also passed 

 away ; and at the last moment I learn the death of the Rev. 

 Benedict Scortechini, LL.B., distinguished for his extensive and 

 laborious researches into the Botany of Queensland. He seems 

 to have died at Perak, his career of usefulness and distinction 

 being thus suddenly closed. 



The Society has continued to receive important donations of 

 Books for the Library, especially from the liberality of Mr. 

 Macleay, to whom we also owe the excellent Bacteriological 

 Laboratory in which Dr. Katz is now carrying out his researches 

 into the character of the Sydney Water Supply. 



We have also received from the Governments of N. S. Wales, 

 Victoria, S. Australia, and Queensland, liberal grants of their scien- 

 tific publications ; from the Geological Survey Department of India 

 a set of all their Memoirs and Reports, as well as of the Palseon- 

 tologia Indica, an acquisition of the utmost value to the Geologist 

 in Australia; from the Geological Society of London, 10 volumes 

 of their Quarterly Journal ; Catalogues from the British Museum; 

 and, from Professor F. M. Balfour's relatives, a copy of the 



