24 HISTORY OP THE FOUNDATION OP THE 



wealth. These are the two objects which the pi-oposed Society- 

 has in view. I wish to say very emphatically that in my 

 opinion there is no possibility of any rivalry or conflict 

 of aims between the Society which is now to be founded, 

 and the one whose formation was announced by H.R.H. 

 the Prince of Wales, at the meeting" of the Committee 

 of the International Fisheries Exhibition the other day, 

 the object of which was to be simply practical, in the 

 ordinary sense of the word, and related to the collection of 

 statistics, the condition of fishermen, and so on. An 

 important part of the functions of the Royal Fisheries 

 Society would be an inquiry into the habits and modes of 

 life of food fishes, and I sincerely trust that when both 

 societies are established, our Biological Society, so far from 

 being" a hindrance or rival to the larger society, will be 

 only too ready to take up that particular part of the work 

 germane to its purpose, viz. the habits and mode of life of 

 the food fishes, so that the two societies will be able to 

 work in harmony towards one common end. 



The Chairman then called upon the Duke of Argyll to 

 move the first resolution as follows : — " That in the opinion 

 of this meeting there is an urgent want of one or more 

 laboratories on the British coast similiar to those existing 

 in France, Austria, and America, where accurate researches 

 may be carried on leading to the improvement of zoological 

 and botanical science, and to an increase of our knowledge as 

 regards the food, life, conditions, and habits of British food 

 fishes, and molluscs in particular, and the animal and 

 vegetable resources of the sea in general. " 



The Dqke op Argyll said, — I consider it a great honour 

 to have the privilege of moving this resolution. I suppose 

 that the fact of our being called together to-day to form a 

 society implies a discovery on the part of those who have 

 taken the lead in the matter that the work is not likely to 

 be taken out of their hands. I mean out of the hands of 

 voluntary societies by the Government. I am afraid that 

 the British Government has always stood behind other 

 Governments, whether monarchical or republican, in the 

 promotion of scientific discovery. In Amei'ica, I believe, 



