60 PRESIDENTS ADDRESS—SECTION B. 
Many of our gums and resins would doubtless repay close 
examination, and Mr. Maiden has done a great deal in collecting, 
classifying, and partially examining a large number of them, 
especially with reference to the quantities of tannin which they 
contain, One of the most closely examined of the resins is that 
obtained from the various species of Xanthorrhea, which was at 
one time largely used as a source of picric acid. Its products of 
distillation, under different conditions, have not been thoroughly 
investigated, and might yield results of importance ; and besides, 
the resin, originally examined by Stenhouse, appears to have been 
the product of one species only. 
A great deal more might be said on this part of my subject, 
but I think I have said enough to show that there is still a wide 
field open if we can only find workers, but herein lies the 
difficulty. It has often occurred to me that outsiders may 
wonder why, in this land of great advantages, and with such an 
extensive field, there is not more original investigation. Why is 
there not an abundance of scientific papers, on all sorts of 
subjects, to be found in the proceedings of our scientific societies? 
It is true there are plenty of papers dealing with matters of 
Natural History, Geology, and kindred subjects, but very few 
involving long, accurate, and painstaking investigation in other 
branches of science. The reason is plain enough, viz., that those 
who have the will have either not the time or the means. Those 
of us who are most favourably situated as regards appliances have 
our hands full with the teaching, organising, and all sorts of outside 
work which is inevitable in colonies in a state of growth, and we 
have not, as yet, numbers of advanced students, such as we find 
in older countries, who are only too glad to be entrusted with 
new lines of research. May we not hope that one effect of this 
Association will be to so interest young and old alike in the 
cause of scientific investigation, that such of the younger members 
as have time and means will come to our aid, and such of the 
older members as have sons, and can afford it, will endeavour to 
give us a chance of showing what Australians can do in this 
direction by sending us their sons to be trained in some branch 
of scientific work. _ 
Besides this difficulty of obtaining hands to work, there is 
often difficulty in obtaining material to work with; and here I 
have a suggestion to make, which may, perhaps, commend itself 
to you, and which, in case it is approved, will, I hope, be jtaken 
up by this section at a later stage in our proceedings. It is the 
custom in these colonies to apply to a paternal Government for 
assistance in almost everything, and this meeting owes its hearty 
thanks to the Government of Victoria for very valuable assistance 
rendered. Now, there are in most of the colonies government 
organisations which specially deal with matters bordering upon 
purely scientific territory—geological, mineralogical, entomological, 
