370 President's Address. [sess. un. 



Dickson from the Cluiir of Botany of the University of 

 Edinburgh and from the Eegius Keepership of the Eoyal 

 Botanic Garden, we were all subsequently delighted to see 

 these appointments conferred upon Professor Bayley Balfour, 

 a person so well qualified for these important situations, and 

 on whom the mantle of his late honoured and revered 

 father had fallen, and we trust that he will long be spared 

 to maintain and even advance the reputation of the Botanical 

 Chair in our University. 



But whilst the Society has had occasion to deeply mourn 

 the loss of so many distinguished members, it had also cause 

 to rejoice in its continued prosperity. The past Session will 

 compare favourably with the former ones for the number 

 and value of its communications, several of these being com- 

 munications of the highest scientific value. We have in 

 this Society several young and enthusiastic botanists, who 

 are working in various departments of the science, and 

 several of these furnished us with valuable communications 

 during the past Session. In the department of field botany 

 we had interesting papers from Mr Scott Elliot on the Flora 

 of the Canary Islands, from Mr Landsborough on the Elora of 

 California, from Mr Bennett on additions to the Scottish 

 Flora, from Mr Gray on the Flora of Sutherlandshire, besides 

 reports from the Camp Committee and the Scottish Alpine 

 Botanical Club. 



In other departments of the subject we had excellent con- 

 tributions from Professor Balfour, Mr Gcddes, Mr Sewell, 

 Mr Fothergill, Mr John Wilson, and Mr Turnbull. We had 

 a furtlier comnmnication from Dr Christison on the 

 Measurement of Trees, and I am sure I express the mind of 

 every member of this Society when I say that we are 

 greatly indebted to Dr Christison for so vigorously carrying on 

 this elaborate work which was Ijegun by his late honoured 

 father. We had also valuable communications from Mr 

 Traill of Joppa on the Marine Algw of the Firth of Forth ; 

 whilst Mr Lindsay favoured us from month to month with his 

 careful and very interesting papers on the Temperature and 

 Vegetation at the lioyal Botanic Garden ; and lastly, I must 

 not forget to mention the very valuable contril)ution to 

 botanical science of Professor Trail on the Galls of Norway. 

 This is a subject in whicli Professor Trail is well known to 



