INAUGURAL ADDRESS 



BY THE PRESIDENT- 



Professor ORME MASSON, M.A., D.Sc, F.R.S. 



The Association over which I have now the honour to preside was 

 founded, as you know, twenty-three years ago for the Advancement 

 of Science in Australasia. This is, however, only its thirteenth 

 meeting ; for, while it was yet young, its guardians decided that 

 it should celebrate its birthday but once in two years. Workers 

 in Science in this part of the world are still not very numerous, and 

 are separated b\' great distances from any central meeting place ; 

 and so it is perhaps wise that their federation should continue this 

 system of biennial meetings till that very Advancement of Science 

 and of Australasia which it lives to promote shall have prepared 

 the way for more frequent congresses. 



This is our third meeting in Sydne\^ The first was the founda- 

 tion meeting of 1888, and the second was held ten years later. 

 Sydney, the premier city of Australasia, is also the premier city 

 of our Association, and for this there is a very special reason, 

 which I think we should never allow ourselves to forget. I refer, 

 of course, to the fact that our actual founder was Professor 

 Liversidge, of the University of Sydney. He it was who conceived 

 the idea, worked it up, and made of it an accomplished fact. For 

 many years, as Honorary Secretary, he laboured for the young 

 Association with parental affection and self-sacrifice ; and he was 

 President at the second Sydney meeting, when it was ten years 

 old. During his long period of University service here, from 1872 

 till his retirement in 1907, he did much for the progress of Science 

 in Australia, both as an original worker in mineralogy and chemistry 

 and as a teacher and organiser ; but probably he left no more 

 lasting memorial of his activity at this side of the world than this 

 Association. We may re]oice that he is still actively working for 

 Science, though we have lost him. I met him a few weeks ago 

 in London, and he sent his cordial good wishes for the success 

 of our meeting. 



