•^ PRESIDENT'S •^ ADDRESS.>K- 



Gentlemen, 



There aie, I have no doubt, many among our members who 

 aspire to the position in which your kindness and over great apprecia- 

 tion of my endeavours have placed me, hut their natural modesty, 

 combined with their not unnatural shrinking from the arduous labour 

 of compiling a presidential address, leads them to hide their light from 

 the members, lest by any chance, the pains and penalties from which I 

 see no escape, yet into which I have in my innocence been led, might 

 be the result of their too great zeal in promoting the cause of science 

 and of the interests of our Society. 



I am quite sure there are many of our members who need simply 

 a little drawing out, a little gentle pressure, which I hope our friend 

 the late President will apply, to bring them at no far distant period 

 into the front rank. It is my wish to encourage such, and if it is agree- 

 able to the members generally, I will this evening offer a few remarks 

 by way of President's address before calling on the lecturer of the 

 evening, and hope that on future evenings I may have the pleasure of 

 calling on some comparatively junior member who shall provide us 

 with a somewhat moxQ piquanie potage, as preparatory to the full meal 

 anticipated in print. 



I think it must be considered to be one of the duties of the 

 Council to discover members who will bring us these short papers, and 

 I may perhaps tell them in your name that if they do not succeed in 

 carrying out your wishes in this matter, the distribution of seats bill, 

 which is now in the air, may perchance reach them at our next elec- 

 tion, when the young blood — the souls already burning with the great- 

 ness that is to be, will step in and lead the way to greater success 

 and greater influence. 



