12 PRKSIDKNTS ADDRESS. 



He very forcibly proved that the case for the establishment of 

 a State Department of Botanical Research with the Botanic 

 Garden as a fundamental part of its organization rests upon an 

 economic basis. Now this should appeal to any Government 

 which has the betterment of the economic conditions of the 

 people and of the country at heart. We have the men in South 

 Africa who can advise the Government in the organization of 

 the agricultural and experimental stations and the National 

 I)Otanic (jardens. There exists, therefore, no cause for delaying 

 any longer this work, without which our Agricultural Depart- 

 ments are not of so much use for promoting and consolidating 

 agricultural enterprise in South Africa as they would be if they 

 could point out to the new settler their own experience obtained 

 in the experimental agricultural stations. 



On this occasion it is impossible to give a review of the 

 ])rogress of the various branches of Science during the last 

 years ; this must be left to those who have prepared papers in 

 the several sections of this year's meeting. Tliere is, however, 

 one subject which has more than any other in recent years 

 engaged the attention of men of Science, as well as of those 

 who are not in the inner circle. It is the study of radium and 

 of radioactive substances. Ever since the days of Lavoisier and 

 of his contemporary workers in the field of Inorganic Chemis- 

 try, nothing has done more to widen and consolidate our know- 

 ledge of Inorganic Chemistry than the study of Mineral 

 Chemistry. The great Swedish chemist, Jacob Berzelius, who 

 advanced our knowledge of this subject more than tlie labour^ 

 of others in the same field of research, gave a definition of a 

 mineral which we may to-day accept without reserve. Berzelius 

 stated that a mineral was simply a chemical compound occurring 

 in nature. In devoting the greater ]:)art of his life to the 

 investigation of the composition and constitution of these 

 " chemical com])oimcls occurring in nature." Berzelius had dis- 

 covered a large number of elements new to Science. Others 

 who followed the example of Berzelius have also enriched our 

 knowledge in this field of research, and the study of the chemical 

 and physical properties of the elements and of the mutual 

 relations existing between the elements and their compounds of 

 similar constitution has supplied that broad basis on which 

 modern Inorganic Chemistry is founded. During the second 

 half of last century the study of Organic Chemistry, and more 

 particularly of the synthetical preparation of Organic Substances, 

 was considerably advanced, in some centres of Germany to such 

 an extent that the study of Inorganic Chemistry undoubtedly 

 sufifered. Only recently more attention has been given to the 

 study of Inorganic Chemi.stry, and in many continental Universi- 

 ties and Technical High Schools separate chairs of Inorganic 

 Chemistry and of Organic Chemistry are established with 

 separate laboratories. 



