Square one or two beautiful and valuable trees which might 

 become an ornament to the city, and last for generations, 

 if allowed to develop themselves, will shortly be ruined for 

 want of room, unless others less valuable are removed. 

 Let me also, before I conclude, put in a plea for the pre- 

 servation of the ferns and forests which are fast disap- 

 pearing from the sides of Mount Wellington. With them 

 will disappear one of the attractions which make your city 

 such a favourite with visitors ; the sides of Mount Wel- 

 lington ought to be preserved to future generations as a 

 noble public forest and park, not allowed to become a 

 dreary hideous wilderness. Acres of bastard gums are cut 

 down, and, as I am informed, for the sake of their seed, 

 which is sold as blue gum seed, and a shameful injury is 

 thus inflicted upon those purchasing and using the seed, 

 and upon honest seedsmen, and the credit of 

 the colony. It now only remains for me to say that the 

 retrospect of the year must, on the whole, be satisfactory 

 to our associates. The attendance at meetings of the 

 Society has, I understand, been above the average of former 

 years, and certainly papers of much interest have been 

 read, whilst several new associates have been enrolled, and 

 donations of value have been made to the Museum and 

 Library. One scientific botanist, Mr. William Archer, 

 has passed from amongst us. Owing to the shortness 

 of my residence in this colony, I had not the pleasure of 

 his personal acquaintance, but his acquirements and in- 

 dustry are well known, and he was highly respected as a 

 colonist of old and high standing. It is to be hoped 

 that his collection will be secured for your Society and 

 the colony, in accordance with the recommendation of Dr. 

 Hooker. Last year Tasmania was honoured by a visit 

 from the American scientific expedition sent out to observe 

 the transit of Venus ; since then no event of special 

 scientific moment has come immediately before us. But 

 we, in a colony once ruled by Sir John Franklin, who lost 

 his life in the service of science and of his country in the 

 Arctic regions, sitting, as we do, almost under the shadow 

 of his statue, cannot but turn in spirit to those polar seas, 

 where, at the further extremity of the globe, British sea- 

 men, keeping up the traditional spirit of our race, are 

 braving waves and icy wildernesses in the cause of science, 

 and for the honour of our flag. All our good wishes go 

 with them, and we may believe that Gven they are cheered 



