TRANSACTIONS 
OR TRE 
BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
SESSION LXXIV. 
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,—In taking the chair this 
afternoon, | wish to express to you my very great regret 
that I should come to you with an apology for my having 
been unable to embody in my remarks, in opening the 
meetings of the Society for the year, any subject of 
scientific and botanical interest, but I have found that 
pressure of other matters has made that quite impossible 
for an amateur like myself, and though deeply interested 
in the work of the Society, I cannot pretend to take 
place along with those who from time to time submit 
communications for our consideration and discussion. 
I must therefore content myself with, and ask you to 
pardon, the restriction of this address to a general state- 
ment of the position of the Society, and to our customary 
reference to those Fellows and Members of the Society 
who, during the year, have passed away. I am sorry to 
say that our membership shows some reduction. As the 
Society now stands we have: 5 British Honorary Fellows; 
25 Foreign Honorary Fellows; 109 Resident Fellows; 
43 Non-Resident Fellows; 53 Corresponding Members; 
9 Associates; 6 Lady Members—making a total of 250 
Members of the Society. 
These 250, for the purpose of consideration as repre- 
senting possible active membership, must be analysed. I 
TRANS. BOT. SOC. EDIN. VOL. XXIV. 4 
