2o8 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICUI/IURAL SOCIETY. 



The Chairman said :^" In the absence of the Lord Provost of 

 Edinburgh, which we all regret very much, I think we will pass 

 over the next toast for the present. The Lord Provost told me 

 he might be very late, but he would use his best endeavours to 

 be here to-night, and, therefore, I suggest we should leave this 

 toast over for the present in case he is able to come later. I, 

 therefore, call upon Dr Somerville, in the absence of Sir William 

 Schlich, to propose the toast of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society." 



Dr Somerville said : — " I am sure that I only express your 

 regret when I state mine, that my distinguished colleague, 

 Sir William Schlich, has not seen his way to be present on this 

 important and record-making occasion. 1 saw Sir William at 

 the end of last week, and at that time he thought he might not 

 be able to join in the tour, but he certainly did not indicate that 

 it was probable he would not be present at this gathering ; 

 and I can only say that I sincerely trust there is no very special 

 reason for his absence, beyond what some or many of us are 

 suffering from, a slight attack of advancing years. Needless to 

 say, there are more reasons than one why I should have wished 

 Sir William to be present to-night, but, after all, a great toast 

 speaks for itself. I had the honour ten years ago of saying a 

 few words in proposing a similar toast, and if I had had time 

 between the intimation that Sir William could not be here and 

 the present moment, I might have revived my recollection of 

 what I said on that occasion, trusting to defective memories to 

 let it pass off, as it were, as a new production. But not having 

 had time, and also not having had a copy of the Transactions, 

 I have to fall back on what you may call original matter. My 

 connection, of course, with the Society does not extend over 

 sixty years, but still I joined about the year 1889, and, although 

 many of you can claim a longer acquaintance with the Society, 

 some of you, I may venture to say, have had a shorter connection 

 therewith. In the earlier years of my connection with the 

 Society, I think I was brought more intimately into contact 

 with it than recently. This is not my desire, but my misfortune. 

 When one drifts southwards, it is natural one gets a little out of 

 touch with events in the north, and although I think, on the 

 whole, that you have a more interesting and eventful time than 

 we in the south, the English Arboricultural Society endeavours, 

 just as you endeavour, to stimulate interest in the subject and 



