THE 



MONTHLY MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL, 



MAECH 1, 1870. 



I.— THE PEESIDENT'S ADDEESS. 



{Delivered before the Royal ]\TicROSCOPiCAii Society, February 9, 1870.) 



Gentlemen, 



A statutable generation has nearly passed away since the 

 first felt want of organization among microscopists issued in the 

 formation of the Society over which I have now the honour to 

 preside. To me, therefore, it seems natural to look back upon the 

 past, and I will gladly carry my hearers along with me while I 

 turn my sail up the stream of life under the cheerful gale of plea- 

 sant memories. It is now more than thirty years since the honoured 

 father of our Society, Dr. Bowerbank, assembled what he called a 

 " band of brothers " for the weekly investigation of microscopic 

 objects, with special reference to structm-e, functions, and laws of 

 formation. The animal, the vegetable, and the mineral kingdom 

 were brought under review by pioneers of science, and the early 

 fruits of their discoveries promised an abundant harvest. The 

 cherished names of Lindley, Mantell, Lister, Henslow, Ward, 

 Quekett, Bell, and of other leading investigators in the branches of 

 physical science, where the microscope is an indispensable instru- 

 ment for research, will be a guarantee, not for vague speculations, 

 but for the estabhshment of new facts and the extension of positive 

 knowledge. Could it be possible to collect within moderate com- 

 pass an account of the weekly labours of Dr. Bowerbank and his 

 zealous collaborateurs, not only would there be a present testimony 

 to the value of their early work, but it would be at once apparent 

 that the philosopher's sanctum within which so many were assem- 

 bled was too limited in dimension, and that the law of cell-formation 

 must perforce be called into requisition. Accordingly, after a large 

 and most interesting meeting, specially assembled to greet our 

 Honorary Fellow, Ehrenberg, Dr. Bowerbank said to me with a 

 warmth of feeling I shall never forget, " God bless the microscope ; 

 let us have a Society." A hearty response was given on my part 

 when Dr. Bowerbank added, we will call the Society the Micro- 

 scopic Society. I suggested Microsaopical instead of Microscojyic, 

 as being more in accordance with the analogy of nomenclature, and 



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