22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



PRESIDENTIAL ADDKKSS, 1919. 



The losses sustained by the Society during tlie past year have 

 been uiany and severe. Among our Foreign meuibers we lament 

 Mr. Casiinir de Candolle, the worthy bearer of an honoured jiame. 

 Among our Associates we mourn the loss of Mr. Bagnall and 

 Mr. Waterhousp, whose names have been upon our roll for over 

 a generation. Among our senior Fellows we grieve over the 

 death of Mr. Godman, only a year ago the recipient of the highest 

 honour it is in the power of the Society to bestow. Other 

 veterans whoso loss we keenly feel include Mr. Worsley-Benisou, 

 Dr. Meiklejolni, Mr. Balston, Canon Norman, Lord Forrest of 

 Banbury, Mr. Roebuck, Sir Edward Fry, and Mr. Lace. Among 

 oiir younger Fellows we have lost, along with others, colleagues 

 so distinguished as Rev. Mr. AVright, Dr. E. A. N. Arber, 

 Mr. Bancroft, Mr. Knipe, and Mr. Row. Our Council has 

 suffered as severely as the general body of the Society. The 

 session opened with the untimely death of Dr. Plimmer, one of our 

 Vice-Presidents, whose charm of manner was only equalled by his 

 knowledge and his sagacity. It closes under the shadow of the loss 

 of Sir Frank Crisp, for nearly half a century one of our Fellows, 

 during a moiety of his Fellowship our trusted Treasurer, and 

 during the whole of it one of the wisest of our advisers and most 

 generous of our friends. 



For our continued welfare the Society is again indebted to the 

 care of our Treasurer, our Secretaries, and our Council. To 

 them your President for the tiuie being is always greatly 

 beholden. The occupant of the Chair this afternoon is unable to 

 express as he would wish his sense of their unfailing support, 

 which has lightened his task and relieved his anxiety during three 

 sessions. The consideration shown him the while by the Society, 

 has made pleasant the duty entrusted to him in an emergency. 

 That emergency over, he has to thank you now for the additional 

 favour of unconditional demobilisation and the satitifaction of 

 placing his task in abler hands. 



The business we transact at our Anniversary JMeeting is usually 

 confined to matters of domestic interest. This year it seems 

 desirable, while our ballots are in progress, to consider the con- 

 cerns of the Soci( ty. and take account of ' the Relationship of the 

 existing Statutes of the Societ}^ to our present needs.' Tliis 

 subject is too wide to admit of exhaustive treatment during the 

 minutes at our disposal. "We have, however, recently added a new 

 bye-law to our Statute-book. It seems, therefore, to be our duty 

 to estimate the effect this new bye-law is likely to have on the 

 Statut.es and Orders of the Societv. 



