1895 THE MICROSCOPE. 39 



Professor Richard Owen (not Sir Richard at that time) 

 took the chair, and became the first President ; and short- 

 ly after the famous John Quekett became secretary, an 

 office which he held almost to his death. 



At this moment Schleiden in Germany was comment- 

 ing upon the paucity of British microscopical research, 

 and attributing it to the want of eflScient instruments, 

 not knowing that a society was then forming which was 

 to raise British microscopes to probably the first position 

 in the world. The President then traced the history of 

 the Society through the presidencies of Dr. Lindley, the 

 botanist, Professor Thomas Bell, the zoologist. Dr. Bow- 

 erbank, Dr. George Busk, Dr. Carpenter, Dr. Lankester, 

 Professor W. Kitchen Parker, all deceased ; and of 

 others equally famous who are still living; and showed 

 how, under its influence and by its assistance, the vast 

 improvements in the microscope, and the enormous ex- 

 tension of its use, had gradually arisen. He also des- 

 cribed its connection with the origin of the "Quarterly 

 Journal of Microscopical Science," the -'Monthly Micros- 

 copical Journal," and other publications, besides its own 

 present widely circulated journal with its exhaustive 

 summary of microscopical and biological work. He re- 

 lated how on John Quekett's death certain members of 

 the Society subscribed to purchase for the Society's coll- 

 ection a curious microscope which Quekett possessed, 

 and which had been made by the celebrated Benjamin 

 Martin about 1770, probably for George III., and how 

 they extended their subscription so as to provide a me- 

 dal to be called "the Quekett medal," to be given from 

 time to time to eminent microscopists ; and how, difiicul- 

 ties having arisen, it happened that the only Quekett 

 medal ever awarded was given to Sir John Lubbock. 



Finally the President considered the future of the mi- 

 croscope and the prospects of further improvements. 

 He said that many people were of opinion that the ins- 



