Inaugural Paper. 5 



I hope that in course of time we shall be able to add to them con- 

 siderably. And, besides what we find ourselves, I hope that we 

 shall be able to avail ourselves of curiosities of every kind from 

 many other sources, and especially from the stores of our friends 

 in the school, or in the neighbourhood. Even if it be found desir- 

 able that the number of our actual members should continue to be 

 small, we shall often be able to introduce friends and visitors who 

 may have something to exhibit, or who may be interested in our 

 proceedings ; and it will I hope be a rule among us that at the 

 beginning of our meetings every one who exhibits a specimen will 

 say a few words in description or explanation of it, if any such 

 exi)lanatiou be required. As far as I can foresee we may hope in 

 time to study in this way many objects of interest. After the spring 

 and summer holidays I can well imagine that we may each have 

 something to report, and may possibly be able to enrich each other's 

 collections by some curious specimens, as well as to enlarge each 

 other's experience by a record of what we have observed and seen 

 in all parts of England and the Continent. Although we propose 

 to begin our meetings at once, it is I think to the spring and summer 

 that we must look for the richest harvest of our studies. It will be 

 exceedingly interesting if we are then able to divide certain subjects 

 among ourselves, and if for instance each member, while adding 

 what he can to the general stock of our knowledge will yet consider 

 some one department as under his special care ; if for instance in 

 botany we look to one member for special information about the 

 composite flowers, to another for the umbelliferous, to a third for the 

 sedges, and to a foiuth for the grasses ; and if in entomology and 

 ornithology we are by any means able to effect a similar division. 

 The best way will be to let each of us choose his own speciality 

 and stick to it. Too much discursiveness offers great temptations 

 to us all, and it is by specialities, and by men of one gift, that the 

 knowledge of the world has been mainly furthered. 



I now come to the most salient part of our scheme, the fort- 

 nightly reading of a paper on some subject connected with science. 

 To this I must acknowledge that 1 look with a great deal of interest 

 and pleasure. As each member will choose some subject in which 

 he is specially interested, and will I hope take some pains both to 

 get up his subject, to concentrate his information upon it, and to 

 make that information both clear and interesting, we ought 1 think 

 all of us to learn much in this way. It is I am sure as a society of 

 learners, and very ignorant learners, that we would all wish to be re- 

 garded; the very object of our meetings will be that we may learn 

 more than we now know, and may assist each other by bringing such 

 little knowledge as we possess into a common stock, and so saving 

 both time and trouble. No doubt papers stored with direct facts 



