PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. 13 
During the past year this has been supplemented by 
another expedition from Sydney under the charge of 
Professor David, largely at the cost of residents in this 
Colony and the New South Wales Government. The Royal 
Society of London has again provided a large portion of 
the requisite funds. 
I do not propose to go into the matter, as I have no 
doubt a full report will, in due course, be issued by Professor 
David ; meanwhile, I think we should express our pleasure 
at the safe return of the expedition, and our gratification 
at the success which has so far been achieved, especially as 
the operations had to be carried out under considerable 
difficulties. 
PROVINCIAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 
Outside the capital of New South Wales scientific societies 
and institutions are practically non-existent, and I think 
this is also the case with respect to the other colonies of 
Australasia, except New Zealand. 
New Zealand sets Australia a good example, for although 
its population is only about one-half that of New South 
Wales, it has comparatively large and active scientific 
societies in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Nel- 
son, Wellington, and Westland. All of these are separate 
and independent societies, but collectively they form the 
New Zealand Institute, centred in Wellington. Papers 
read before the local societies, if of sufficient merit and 
importance, are published in the Transactions of the 
New Zealand Institute; this is an exceptionally wise 
plan, for the smaller societies could not afford the expense 
of publishing separate annual volumes ; further, the papers 
are distributed more widely and a better standard can be 
maintained. If there were similar local societies in Bathurst, 
Broken Hill, Goulburn, Newcastle, and other towns in New 
South Wales, which are quite as large as some of the New 
Zealand towns, they could do much for the advancement 
of science, and assist the aims and objects of this Association. 
