34 Address of the President. 



able collection of the Zoological Society of London, chiefly- 

 presented by the late K A. Vigors, a first-rate scholar and 

 naturalist, and containing many unique things from our scien- 

 tific exploratory voyages, has been sold. That of the Ento- 

 mological Society has also been sold, and the greater part of 

 that belonging to the Linnsean Society was sold during the 

 last month, because there was not sufficient space to keep what 

 had been presented to them. The collection of the Eoyal 

 Society of Edinburgh is now undergoing the same process. 



In the summer excursions of the Society, while the zoo- 

 logical and botanical products are not neglected, it will be a 

 chief object to examine the mineralogy and geology. And I 

 will suggest, that, during our excursions, notes of what is 

 observed should be taken down. The exact habitats of rare 

 plants noted, so that we shall gradually make up our flora. 

 The same in regard to entomology. And it would be profit- 

 able, at the ensuing meetings, that a short report of the previous 

 excursion should be read. Various opportunities will occur 

 for this. Within our range we have, besides, various building 

 materials of great excellence, lime and coaL Of metals, we 

 have gold in small quantity, silver, lead and iron in work, 

 copper and antimony. Of minerals, sulphate of barytes, etc. 

 There is no commercial speculation so precarious as mining, 

 and large sums of money have been sunk or lost by the em- 

 ployment of parties not qualified, or otherwise interested, or 

 ■by gentlemen taking upon themselves to judge without suffi- 

 cient experience. Antimony was formerly worked in Eskdale. 

 Copper has been attempted to be worked in the Moffat range. 

 In Galloway, iron is at present worked, and there are else- 

 where numerous indications of both iron and copper, too 

 small to work profitably ; but these districts require yet to be 

 minutely surveyed. Coal is always a mineral much coveted, 

 and various attempts have been made in Dumfriesshire to 

 find it away from the known fields. These attempts have 

 been unsuccessful, and money has been expended which a 



