ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, NOVEMBER 6, 1877. 197 



phenomena, of which so many come under the eyes of practical 

 foresters, and so tender that assistance to the march of scientific 

 progress and knowledge which it becomes us to do as members of 

 that important body. These two additions to the dignity and 

 importance of the Society ought to be followed by another, and 

 in my opinion we ought to use our earliest and best endeavours 

 to obtain a Royal Charter. I am not aware whether any and 

 what steps have been taken towards the accomplishment of this 

 object, but I can only say that if I can do anything towards 

 furthering its attainment, you may command my services. 



Now, gentlemen, as you have called me to the distinguished 

 position of your President, I naturally asked myself what my 

 claims were to such an honour. Those claims are not great ; 

 but I can at least claim that I am a practical woodman, 

 accustomed from my earliest youth to the use of the axe, and 

 delighting both in the exercise and the interest that it gives me; 

 and I may add that I have brought up all my sons to the same 

 employment, and that they have all acquired in their early years 

 a thorough acquaintance with the use of that implement. In this 

 you will recognise me as a faithful follower of my late distin- 

 guished chief and leader, Mr Gladstone. He is often derided for 

 his partiality for woodman's work, but I am sure in this company, 

 whatever our political opinions may be, and whatever we may 

 think of him as a statesman and an orator, we can all appreciate 

 this trait in his character. I am a humble but persistent fol- 

 lower of his in this as in other things, and my general admiration 

 for his character is, as you may suppose, much increased by know- 

 ing his proficiency in my favourite exercise. My other claim is that 

 I come of a race of planters and foresters. I am now the fifth pro- 

 prietor in succession who has specially devoted himself to improv- 

 ing the estate of Blairadam, more by planting than by anything 

 else ; and I have this advantage over many other races of landed 

 proprietors who have devoted themselves equally zealously to 

 that occupation, in that the planting at Blairadam has become 

 classical through a touch of the magic wand of that enchanter, 

 Sir Walter Scott. To this I owe the record of what has been 

 done at Blairadam since 1733, which, together with directions 

 and instructions for future management of the woods, was em- 

 bodied in a book which was written and printed in 1834 by my 

 grandfather, William Adam, the Lord Chief Commissioner of the 

 Jury Court in Scotland. 



