Apologies. 



Apologies for unavoidable absence were 

 received from the Aichbishop of H )!)a.rt, 

 Mr. T. Stephens. M.A.. F.G.S., fuul Mr. 

 L. Kod way. 



PiesiJent's Address. 



His Excellency the Governor, as Pres'i- 

 ■deut, deliveied the followiug presidential 

 addres's : — 



Mr. Vice - President, members of 

 the Council, and Fellows of the 

 Koyal Society, — Among the many 

 honourable and agieeab/le positions 

 held by the Governor of Tasmania, there 

 is none more honourable, none moie agree- 

 able, than that of President of the l\'oyal 

 Society of Tasmania. Not only can the 

 Royal Society claim to be one of the oldest 

 scientific bodies of Australasia, but it may 

 also justly pride itself on having contri- 

 buted largely to the stores of science and 

 research' which have been laid up in this 

 great Southern Doriiinion, The societrj' 

 had its beginning in an informal as-socia- 

 lion, of Sir Joliu Franklin and of men 

 among his friends and acquaintances, who 

 shared with him his love of knowledge and 

 of inquiiy. Under Sir John Franklin's 

 care, this association grew, until in 18-11. 

 before he relinquished his office of Gover- 

 nor, it was foimed into an organised so- 

 ciety, called the Tasmanian Society. But, 

 it was not until three years later, when 

 Sir John Franklin had left the co'lony. 

 that the institution which he had brought 

 into being, and which he had iso lovingly 

 cherished, reached its fulness of strength 

 and dignity. On the 12Lh September. 1844. 

 Sir J. E, Eaidley-Wilmor, Sir .Tohii 

 Franklin's succe-sor in the Government 

 of Tasmania, was able to proclaim that 

 the Royal So':iety. with an approved con- 

 stitution, and witli a grant of i.'4-OO a year 

 from publi.- funds, had been formally es- 

 tablished. At the same time, the Gover- 

 nor was authorised *"o make the auspicious 

 announcement that Her Majesty the 

 Queen had signified her consent to be Pat- 

 ron of the society. For fifty-eight years — 

 until by death the Empire lost the noblest 

 and be-t Sovereign that has ever been — 

 the Eoyal Societv continued to hold and 

 treasure this signal mark of honour. His 

 Majesty the King lias now been graciously 

 pleased to become Patron, The leading ob- 

 jects of the Eoyal Society were defined to 

 be the investigation of tl'e physical charac- 

 ter of Tasmania, and the illustration of 

 its natural history and productions. The 

 constitution and objects of the societv re- 

 main, at the pi-esent day, substantiallv 

 what they weie at the time of its estab- 

 lishment in 1844. Among the names of 

 men associated with its work, the Poval 

 Society records with pride — Sir .Tohn 

 Frank'in. its distinguirshed founder; Cap- 

 tains Ross and Crozier, succes-ful Ant- 



arctic investigators; Sir Joseph Hooker, 

 the great botanist; Sir George <}rey, tlie 

 eminent colonial statesman and poli- 

 tician; the Keverend Mr. Colenso, the ar- 

 dent naturalist; the Reverend Di. Lillie. 

 an eminent scholar and divine; Sir 

 Thomas Mitchell, the Australian ex- 

 plorer. I could greatly prolong the list. 

 but I fear to weary you. The names I 

 have recalled to you are probably already 

 growing faint in the memory of the pie- 

 sent generation. But the roll of the so- 

 ciety contains one name which is fresh in 

 all our minds and hearts — that of Sir 

 James Agnew, w'hose keen intellect, and 

 whose warm poAver of sympathetic in- 

 terest, pervade the whole history of the 

 societ.v. from its earliest days, sixty years 

 ago, until November of last .year, when he 

 was called to his lest. All Tasmania owes 

 Sir James Agnew a deep debt of grati- 

 tude for the good deeds, for the open-hand- 

 ed munificence, and for the noble example, 

 by which, during a long life, he helped to 

 raise the character of her people, to cheer 

 their hearts, and to brighten their lives. 

 Tasmania and her Royal Society need no 

 visible monument to keep alive their re- 

 membrance of Sir James Agnew. But. if 

 they did, it may be found in marble, in 

 the beautiful work of the sculptor's art. 

 which adorns the Art Gallery of our 

 Museum, and "which he has bequeathed to 

 Tasmania. The Honourable C. H. Giant 

 and Dr. Bright, who passsd away only a 

 few weeks before Sir James Agnew\ have 

 left also a record of earnest and success- 

 ful work, in the service of the objects of 

 the Royal Society, and of high aims for 

 the improvement of the community among 

 whom they lived and laboured. And now. 

 before I c'lose my testimony, which I feel 

 to be inadequate and impel feet, to the 

 zeal, the perseverance, and the ability 

 which have been devoted to the further- 

 ance of the objects of the society. I should 

 not be doing justice to my subject, if I 

 were to omit the name of our secretary, 

 Mr. Alexander Morton. I have hardly yet 

 ceased to be a stranger among you. But, 

 already, the assiduity, the tact, the power 

 of organisation, which Mr. Morton has 

 l>rought to bear upon the promotion of 

 the interests of the Royal Society in par- 

 ticular, and upon the advance of science, 

 and upon the cultivation of art in Tas- 

 mania, in general, have been forced upon 

 my attention. You, who have known Mr. 

 Morton for many years, and who have had 

 long experience of his work, of his con- 

 stant and strenuous efforts, and I ma.y say 

 his successful efforts, to dp good, are, I 

 know, deeply imbued with the respect and 

 gratitude which are due to him. Mr. Mor- 

 ton's labour among us is a labour of love. 

 He has lately returned from much-needed 

 rest and recreation in New Zealand; and 

 I know you w411 join with me in trusting 

 that he may be long spared to continue hi;* 



