PROMOTION OF ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY. 321 



as likely to be more interesting- to the fellows, that the main part of the 

 address should in future dwell upon some particular subject, preferably 

 one that has most engaged the attention of geographers during the 

 past year. 



I freely acknowledge that the omission of a detailed review of the 

 progress of geography will be quite a new departure, for such a review 

 has annually been given since the foundation of the society. For many 

 years it was essential, because the information could not be found else- 

 where, and for a long time it was very useful; but as it has now become 

 unnecessary, owing to the improved character of our Journal, the time 

 for a change in the plan of the annual address seems to have arrived. 

 During the first eight years of our existence the reviews of geographical 

 progress were written by our indefatigable naval secretaries. Captains 

 Maconochie and Washington ; but in 1838 my accomplished predeces- 

 sor, Mr. W. E. Hamilton, introduced the practice of delivering annual 

 presidential addresses, which has ever since prevailed. Since 1838 

 there have been only three occasions on which the annual address has 

 not been written and delivered by the president. In 1861 Sir Eoderick 

 Murchison, as yice-president, delivered the address in the absence of 

 Lord Ashburton; in 1879 I delivered the address as secretary, owing to 

 the absence of Lord Dufterin; and the illness of Lord Aberdare made 

 it necessary for General Strachey to deliver the address in 1886. It was 

 the custom for the obituaries, which now appear in the different num- 

 bers of the Journal, to be collected in the address, and there was a 

 detailed review of work done during the year. I may observe that the 

 address was always entitled "Address to the Royal Geographical 

 Society by the president" from 1838 to 1878. In 1879 I prepared a 

 statement of the progress of geography during the year in lieu of a 

 president's address, and ever since my title has been adopted and the 

 president's address has been called "The annual address on the progress 

 of geography." But that title was not intended for the i)resident's 

 address. I now propose to revert to the older and more convenient 

 title, "Address to the society by the president," leaving eacli i)resideut 

 freedom to choose his own subject-matter. 



For it was not the plan of Mr. Hamilton that the addresses should 

 be confined to obituaries and reviews of current work, as has generally 

 been the case in recent times. He and his immediate successors, while 

 following the established practice, also dwelt upon some special subject 

 in the body of tbeir addresses. In 1838 Mr. Hamilton discoursed on 

 the importance of geography and on the uses of the society; and in 

 1839 his great numismatic knowledge enabled him to ofl'er some most 

 interesting suggestions respecting our medals. Mr. Greenough occujjied 

 his address with a treatise on map drawing and an improved system of 

 mapping. Admiral Smyth dwelt on the duties of the society, and on 

 the definition and scope of geograj)hy. Sir Eoderick Murchison made 

 it a regular practice to select some subject of interest as the principal 

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