340 PROMOTION OF ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY. 



remember tlie time wheu he presided here, he can never be replaced. 

 I still indulge the hope of seeing him among us before the session is over. 

 In conclusion, it is my duty to announce the retirement of Mr. Doug- 

 las Freshfleld from the post of secretary, and that he has declined to 

 allow himself to be put in nomination as a member of the new council. 

 Mr. Freshfteld was my colleague from 1881 to 1888, and for the last six 

 years he has been senior secretary of the society. A renowned climber 

 and Alpine explorer, he now holds the honorable post of president of 

 the Alpine Club. But he is not a mere climber. He is well versed in 

 the historical literature of the Alps, as is shown by his papers on the 

 Alpine notes of Leonardo da Vinci in 1881, and on the pass of Hanni- 

 bal in 1880. He was also the author of sketches in tbe mountains of 

 Ticino. Having exhausted the Alps, Mr. Freshfleld turned to the Cau- 

 casus, and our Proceedings have been enriched by four of his papers 

 describing with a master hand the physical aspects of that little-known 

 range, and his own well-planned and successful ascents. He also pub- 

 lished a work on Central Caucasus and Bashan. Mr. Freshfleld gave up 

 much of his time to the society, and was indefatigable in his supervision 

 of the work of the departments, and initiated our large and valuable col- 

 lection of photographs. He introduced the use of photographic slides 

 at our evening meetings. He took a special interest in educational 

 questions, and the society's arrangements with the universities of 

 Oxford and Cambridge owed much to his active and zealous aid. He 

 read a paper of great importance at the British Association meeting 

 of 1806, on '• The place of geography in education." In that paper lie 

 truly remarked that much of the literature of physical science was ren- 

 dered unreadable by the absence of the art of letters in its producers. 

 The classics, he added, are the authors and models of the art of clear 

 and <'ondensed expression for European literature. And this reminds 

 me that one of Mr. Freshfleld's highest (pialitications for the post of 

 our secretary was that he was a classical scholar. How often have I 

 deplored the loss of this qualification through having gone to sea so 

 young! Mr. Freshfleld conducted a good deal of correspondence, both 

 private and oflScial, the results of which were very conducive to the 

 best interests of the society. As an example, I may mention his letters 

 to the India office, to which were due the establishment of an excellent 

 understanding with the departments in India, and to our behig regu- 

 larly supplied with geographical information which was previously 

 withheld. He was joint editor of the three latest editions of Hints to 

 Travellers, taking the subject of outflt as his own part of the work. 

 For these varied and important services the warm thanks of our coun- 

 cil and of the society are justly due to Mr. Freshfleld. Although he 

 retires, by his own desire, from any further official connection with the 

 society, he will, I am sure, continue to take a warm interest in our pro- 

 ceedings, and to be an active and zealous, though independent, member 

 of our body. 



