Nov. 1909.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 53 
which has just passed. But I would like again to refer, 
as I have done before, to the anxious desire of your Council 
that we should do all in our power to increase the strength 
and the popularity of the Society. I think that botany is 
a subject in which an increasing interest is being taken 
by what I might call the general public, and I feel sure 
that if the Society and these meetings of ours were more 
generally known, we might look not only for an increase 
of membership of the Society, but also for a greater number 
of contributions of communications and exhibits of interest 
to the Society, and of records interesting to botanical science. 
I think that those of us who have friends interested in 
botany should endeavour to induce them to join us. We 
are, unfortunately, not a wealthy Society, and we have not 
much to offer beyond those interesting meetings and records 
of our doings, but I venture to think that even these are 
well worth offering to our friends. A larger membership 
would undoubtedly give the Society a stronger financial 
position, and that would enable us to do more in the way 
of making our Transactions attractive, and give us a wider 
field from which to fill their pages. 
In concluding these remarks I would desire to express 
to the Fellows, Associates, and Members of the Society 
my thanks for the kind forbearance with which they have 
received my efforts to fill this chair, and for the kindness 
and courtesy which I have met with on all hands. I have 
felt it a great honour and privilege to preside over your 
meetings, and in my present position to open the session 
of the year on which we are now entering. I would also 
express my deep sense of the honour you have done me 
in re-electing me to the chair for another year, and I give 
you my assurance that I will do everything in my power 
for the benefit of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 
THE PRESENT POSITION OF BOTANICAL SURVEY IN BRITAIN. 
By Wm. G. Sniru, B.Se., Ph.D. 
The communication of which this is a summary, outlined 
the present position of what has come to be known as 
Botanical Survey. The subject has connections with 
