Nov. 1907. | THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 371 
Survey of New Zealand, and occupied this position till his 
retiral in 1903. His many articles were chiefly published 
in the “ Transactions and Proceedings ” of the New Zealand 
Institute. He was Executive Commissioner for New Zealand 
to the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879, and in that 
connection published a handbook of New Zealand, of which 
a fourth edition was issued in 1886. One chapter of this 
handbook is devoted to the vegetable and animal products 
of the islands. In 1889 he edited for a Government Com- 
mission an important monograph on the New Zeaiand flax, 
Phormium tenax, as a fibrous plant, in which the plant, 
its growth, cultivation, fibre, preparation, properties, and 
statistics, are exhaustively dealt with. 
Sir James Hector was held in high esteem by the public 
of the colony, and oceupied the position of Chancellor of the 
University of New Zealand. He was made a C.M.G. in 
1875, and a K.C.M.G. in 1887. He was also a Fellow of the 
Royal, the Geological, and the Linnean Societies. In 1868 
he married Maria, daughter of Sir D. Munro, M.D. Since 
1903 he had lived in retirement at Ratanui, Pentone, 
Wellington, New Zealand, where he died on 6th November 
1907, aged 73 years. His son, Charles Munro Hector of 
Wellington, graduated at the University of Edinburgh, M.D. 
with honours in 1898, and B.Se. in Public Health in 1899. 
AFFORESTATION IN SCOTLAND. 
I have not found it an easy matter to fix on any topic that 
might appropriately form the subject of a few remarks at the 
beginning of another session. While looking up some facts 
in the life-history of Sir Dietrich Brandis I was greatly 
impressed with the importance and value, from an imperial 
point of view, of a thoroughly organised and systematic 
scheme of forest conservancy. It occurred to me that a 
passing reference to the recent purchase by the Government 
of the estate of Inverleiver in Argyllshire for purposes of 
afforestation would be opportune. To the botanist and 
arboriculturist this is one of the most interesting incidents 
of the year in Scotland. The necessity for some such step 
has long been keenly felt, and it has been strenuously advo- 
cated by this Society and many other parties for many years. 
