150 President's Address. [sess. lh. 



Society, and a committee was appointed to make all neces- 

 sary arrangements. The outcome of this meeting was the 

 formation of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, on the 

 17th of March 1836. The Society had twenty-one original 

 members, all enthusiastic botanists. Out of these only three 

 survive — Dr Nicholas Tyacke, Dr George Charles Wallich, 

 and Dr Eichard Chandler Alexander-Prior. 



As was to be expected from the energy and enthusiasm 

 of the original members, and especially of its founder, Dr 

 Balfour, the Society Nourished from its earliest infancy. To 

 such an extent was this the case, that at the end of the 

 first year of its existence the Society had 132 members. 

 The Society has steadily increased ever since, and for more 

 than half a century has occupied a prominent place among 

 the scientific societies of this country. 



This success has been due chietly to three causes — 



1. The Society was founded on a truly scientific basis ; 

 it was an " Association exclusively devoted to the advance- 

 ment of botanical science"; 



2. It adopted the right means to promote this noble end ; 

 and 



3. The members were true to their membership, and all 

 of them did what they could for the advanccnnent of botanical 

 science. 



In the few remarks which I have the honour to make to 

 the Society to-night, it occurred to me that it might be both 

 interesting and profitable to look for a little at the great aims 

 of our Society, and inquire what stei)S we are taking to 

 furtlier the same. 



With regard to the objects for whitli this Society was 

 formed, we find that in the very foreground it was to bring 

 botanists together, and to promote social intercourse amongst 

 those who are engaged in the pursuit of botanical science. 

 This was specially true of the founders of the Society, and is 

 still perpetuated in the meetings of the Botanical Society 

 Club. Our meetings in tliis place partake nuich of the 

 social element, and even our friendly cup of tea, with which 

 our meetings close, is not without its beneficial elTects on tlie 

 members. Our sunnner meetings, too, in the Koyal Botanic 

 Garden, with the delightful walk at the close, coikUicc much 

 to this same great end. 'J'lic social chai-actcr of our meetings 



