lnwean society of londok. 23 



Anniyersabt Address op the President. 



In looking back ou anotlier year o£ the Society's history from 

 the standpoint of an Anniversary Meeting I am compelled to 

 renew my expression of gratitude for the high honour you did 

 me in placing me in this chair, nor can I fail to recall the sense 

 of personal unfitness which oppressed me when you invited me 

 to occupy this honourable and responsible position. T entered 

 ou the duties with the full conviction that, in their discharge, I 

 W'ould receive your sympathy and help, and I am now able to 

 look back on a year of exceptional activity and honourable work, 

 in which my defects have been covered by your considerate 

 indulgence. 



The first thing that arrests the mind in our annual retrospect 

 is the disappearance from our roll of some loved and honoured 

 names. I desire not to infringe on the task of recording the 

 individual losses we have sustained, so admirably performed by 

 our Senior Secretary, but if he will pardon me 1 would like, in a 

 sentence, to recall one or two personally known to me whom we 

 shall see here no more. Early in the year we had to mourn the loss 

 of Greorge Busk, an upright man, a true friend, and a distinguished 

 naturalist. For several years he discharged the duties of Secre- 

 tary, and he was worthy of any honour the Society could give 

 him. "VVe miss the quiet unobtrusive form of C. E. Broome, who, 

 never neglecting the duties that devolved upon him as a country 

 gentleman, found opportunity for indulging his ardent love for 

 Botany, and became, as our publications testify, a justly recoo-- 

 nized authority on the group of plants to which he specially 

 devoted himself. Sir Charles J. F. Bunbury seldom came to our 

 meetings, and was consequently known to only a few of the 

 Fellows, but every one who knew him held him in high esteem. 

 Sir Charles was a careful botanist, and used his knowledge of 

 recent forms to interpret extinct plants. I should like to say a 

 word about Hanee and Scortechini, who, though never present 

 at our meetmgs, have advanced our science in the far East, and 

 about Elliot, Grote, Moore, and others — but i should only fore- 

 stall Mr. Jackson in his work. 



Hope, however, replaces sadness when we turn to the additions 

 to our roll, and recognize, in some who have joined us, youuf 

 naturalists, with advantages greater than those enjoyed by their 

 predecessors, and with promise that justify us in believing that 

 they will take up the work of those who have left us, and of 

 those who happily are still with us, but whose age entitles them 

 to lay down their tools. 



Perhaps the most visible sign of our prosperity has beeu our 

 large meetings. On several occasions our commodious room has 

 been barely sufficient to accommodate the audience. This is 

 itself a testimony to the value of the communications that have 

 been submitted to us. 



