THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS, 



By J. JENNEB. WEIR, Esq., F.L.S. 



Annual Meeting, Felruary 25th, 1874. 



Gentlemen, 



It is now two years since you did me the honor to elect me 

 President of this Societj^, and, in accordance with the rules, I 

 this evening vacate the chair. 



The address which I pui-pose to deliver is therefore valedictory. 



The study of Physical Science is daily growing in importance : 

 the age in which we live is more remarkable than any other which 

 has preceded it for the pursuit of truth. 



Thinking men require some sound basis for their thoughts, 

 this a knowledge of Physical Science supplies. 



I am daily more and more convinced of the advantages of 

 scientific study for training the mind to accuracy of thought, 

 enabling the student to take a broad view of all subjects which 

 may be brought before him. 



In my last address I drew your attention to the numerous ex- 

 periments which had been made by Dr. Bastian and others, to 

 prove that under certain circumstances spontaneous generation 

 takes place. 



These experiments prove beyond all doubt that in certain turnip 

 solutions, to which a little cheese had been added, life was devel- 

 oped after the solution had been boiled for some minutes, and 

 hermetically sealed during ebullition. 



So startling a result has caused other eminent men to make 

 similar trials, and also to vary some of the conditions under 

 which those adverted to were made. 



The most important of these testing experiments were those of 

 Dr. Burdon Sanderson, Mr. Bay Lankester, and the late Dr. Pode. 



In an address of this character it is not necessary to detail the 

 experiments they have made, but the result, I think, may very 

 shortly be summed up. 



