250 The late Dr. Thomas Thomson. 



Session limiting the tenure of oiSce of tlie Vice-Presidents to two years 

 in succession, be now also made applicable to the President, so that he 

 shall not be eligible for more than two years consecutively. 



" The Council agreed to recommend to the Society that Mr. William 

 Cockey be appointed Librarian." 



Mr. Liddell reported on behalf of the deputation from this Society to 

 the British Association, that that body had given the preference to Hull 

 for its meeting of next year, but that there was reason to hope that 

 Glasgow would be honoured with a visit from the Association in the year 

 following. 



The Society, by acclamation, elected Dr. Robert D. Thomson an 

 Honorary Member. 



Dr. Thomson expressed his sense of the honour conferred upon him, 

 and stated that his connection with this Society had always been of the 

 most delightful kind ; and although he was about to remove to a consider- 

 able distance, he still hoped to have the pleasure of occasionally visiting 

 the Society, the continued success of which would afford him sincere 

 satisfaction. 



The first vote of the Society was taken on the recommendation of the 

 Council, that the law with respect to the Vice-President should in future 

 be made applicable to the office of President. The proposal was affirmed. 



Mr. Clark, Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, placed on the table 

 a variety of exotic plants in flower. 



Mr. Smith of Sheffield, who was introduced by Mr. Cockey and Mr. 

 Liddell, exhibited and explained a heating apparatus. 



The Vice-President, Mr. Crum, then read a Sketch of the Life and 

 Labours of the late Dr. Thomas Thomson, President of the Society : — 



XXXII. — Sketch of the Life and Labours of Dr. Thomas Thomson, F.E.S. 

 President of the Philosophical Society/. By Walter Crum, F.R.S. 



Dr. TnoMAS Thomson was elected President of this Society on the 

 12th of November, 1834. During the eighteen years which have since 

 elapsed, his attention to the duties of the chair was unremitting, until the 

 beginning of the session in November 1850, when the state of his health 

 made it dangerous for him to go abroad in the evening. Such was the 

 respect in which he was held by the Society, that although it was evident 

 that he would not again preside at any of its meetings, it was unani- 

 mously agreed to make his case an exception to the rule lately adopted, 

 limiting the period during which any President or Vice-President can be 

 chosen to these offices. 



Dr. Thomson died on the 2d of July last, and it falls to me, as the 

 senior Vice-President, to lay before you some account of the man, whom, 

 for so long a period, the Society has looked upon as its great honour and 

 ornament. With this view I have not failed to renew my acquaint- 

 ance with his works — originally with the intention of drawing up a 



