INAUGURAL ADDHHSS. 
OCTOBER 13th, 1887. 
Mr. SEYMOUR BURROWS, B.A. (Cantab), M.R.C.S. 
Mr. Burrows commenced by remarking on the nobility of 
the study of Nature, and of the manifold and attractive aspects 
under which She is presented to our eyes. Inthe process of 
years the varied and accumulated results of many observers 
required that some classification should be given to the subjects 
of their study. Among the great classifiers might he named 
Aristotle, Pliny, Athenceus, Albertus Magnus, Gesner, Ray, 
Buffon, Linnzeus, Cuvier, and Owen. So vast is the field which 
the study of Nature presents, that to-day, at any rate in its 
entirety, it is too wide for any one mind to embrace. But 
though all but the most gifted minds must content themselves 
with a little knowledge of her works, yet this, instead of being a 
dangerous thing, may be of the greatest use to us. To cultivate 
a habit of observation even within narrow limits, and to take an 
interest in the things which surround us, is itself an education. 
Mr. Burrows then alluded to Museums, and to the part which 
they ought to play in this education. He remarked on the better 
organization and adaptation to the wants and requirements of 
students which Museums abroad presented compared with those 
of our own country. They were open at times also most con- 
_yenient for artizans and the working classes generally to attend ; 
and he thought in this respect we might with advantage follow 
_ the example set us on the other side of the Channel. Every 
_ Museum should be a place where one could learn the main facts 
concerning the geology, the botany, and the zoology of the 
_ country around. Mr. Burrows then enlarged on the many op- 
_ portunites for acquiring knowledge which even a dweller in 
