XLV PROCEEDINGS. 
during the past year. Until the last evening prior to the date fixed for 
the annual meeting, we could say that death had made no diminution 
in our list of members. But, on that evening, we lost one who was 
facile princeps among us—our late President, Prof. George Lawson. 
Prof. Lawson was born on the 12th October, 1827, at Newport, Fife- 
shire, in Scotland. He was the son of Alexander Lawson and belonged 
to a family which had long resided in Fifeshire. After completing his 
school education, he entered upon the study of law; but his strong 
natural taste for scientific work led him to abandon a legal! career, and 
to enter the University of Edinburgh with the object of studying the 
natural and physical sciences. His studies in Edinburgh extended over 
a period of ten years, during which time he was also occupied with 
scientific and literary work in connection with the University and with 
several of the scientific institutions of that city. He was for a time 
Curator of the University Herbarium, and was thus brought into either 
personal contact or correspondence with the leading botanists of the 
time. He was also for some time Demonstrator of Botany under Pro- 
fessor J. H. Balfour ; and, in that capacity, he conducted a select class 
for advanced students, teaching the practical use of the microscope and 
methods of research in regard to the minute structure and development 
of plants. The class was one of the first of the kind conducted in 
Great Britain. The preparation of the Catalogue of the Library of the 
Royal Society of Edinburgh was entrusted to him at this time, and was 
carried out to the great satisfaction of the Society. He acted also as 
secretary of several societies, in particular of the Royal Physical Society, 
in which office he had as colleague the late Sir Wyville Thomson, after- 
wards Chief of the Scientific Staff of the Challenger expedition. 
In the year 1858 he was appointed to the Professorship of Chemistry 
and Natural History in Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and, to 
the great regret of the leading scientific men in Edinburgh, evidenced 
by their presenting him with an address, a silver salver and a purse of 
sovereigns, he accepted the appointment. 
In 1863, on the reorganization of Dalhousie College in this city, 
Dr. Lawson resigned his chair at Queen’s College and accepted the 
Professorship of Chemistry and Mineralogy here. From that date 
until the present—for a period of thirty-two years—he has conducted 
the chemical department in this college. In addition to the work of his 
chair, he also for many years conducted a class in Botany. 
