110 PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 
Mr. E. Palmer, M.L.A., then moved, and Mr. W. A. 
Tully seconded, the adoption of the Report of the Council 
and Balance Sheet, and these were adopted unanimously. 
The President, Mr. L. A. Bernays, then delivered the 
following address :— 
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 
In a young society like ours, it would, I think, be unwise 
to expect the President for the year to give a formal address 
upon his retirement. There are many members of the Society 
who would make good organising heads, and could conduct 
its meetings efficiently and with dignity, who would not accept 
the office if a formal presidential address were required from 
them at the end of their term. In my own case I have not 
the leisure to follow carefully the progress of the various branches 
of science which we are formed to promote; nor have J the exact 
knowledge of any of them which alone could justify my presuming 
to pass them in review before a critical audience. I have, how- 
ever, a few words to say before giving way to my successor, and 
will make them as few as possible. A branch of the Geographical 
Society of Australasia having been established in Brisbane, and 
giving tokens of vitality, that phase of scientific research may be 
considered provided for, and this Society has been relieved from 
its prosecution. When, however, it became known that the 
scientific investigations being conducted by Mr. H. O. Forbes in 
New Guinea were likely to be hampered, if not brought to an end, 
from want of funds, it was thought to be well within the scope of 
our functions that we should lend the weight of our organisation 
to the collection of subscriptions for the purpose of enabling that 
very able investigator to continue in New Guinea the admirable 
work which he had so successfully carried out in the Eastern 
Archipelago. Although the result of our efforts proved insufficient 
to ward off the threatened calamity, the Royal Society of Queens- 
land is entitled to the credit of having been the first, and, as far as 
my information goes, the only one of the various scientific organi- 
sations of Australasia, to take the practical step of organising a 
fund for this purpose. It is to be hoped that before the season 
recurs at which Mr. Forbes could effectively renew his work the 
necessary funds may be forthcoming to give him a fresh start, and 
a reproach be thereby removed from this group of colonies which 
is so intimately concerned in the accurate development of the 
geography and natural history of British New Guinea. We may 
rest well assured that the scientific enterprise of our German 
