O PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 



something to put a little additional vitality into the members, 

 and for something also, which would bring togetlier a greater 

 number of workers in each branch of science, so that ideas 

 might be interchanged, and a little healthy emulation aroused. 

 Not something to withdraw members from their own societies 

 and steady work, but something to make us feel that it won't 

 do to go to sleep ; because our fellow-workers in the other 

 colonies are very wide awake. The Australian Association for 

 the advancement of science, seems to me to meet our case 

 exactly. Its meetings only last for one week in each year, and 

 therefore cannot take members from tlieir local .societies, and by 

 assembling the workex's in each branch of science from all the 

 colonies, by asking them to form committees and work side by 

 side for a time, it promotes tlie exchange of ideas upon the same 

 subject, and the pleasure which that aftbrds. There can be no 

 more fitting time to explain the steps wliich have led up to our 

 association for the advancement of science than this, our first 

 meeting, when I hope all the members are present. I have no 

 doubt that to very many the information will be new, and under 

 any circumstances we must leave for those who come after us an 

 account of the origin of an eftbrt in the cause of science, which I 

 am sure will have an important and lasting influence on the 

 scientific progress of Australia. The first step was taken by 

 Professor Liversidge, who is himself an institution for the 

 advancement of science, and knows no fatigue in that service. 

 Round him everything has revoh^ed in perfect order to the 

 complete pi-eparation for this meeting. On September 16, 1884, 

 in a letter to the Heraldf^, which was afterwards i-eproduced by 

 most of the colonial and some of the home papers, he pointed out 

 that the interest created in Australia by the announcement at 

 the Britisli Association meeting in Montreal of Mr. Caldwell's 

 discovery of tlie oviparous nature of the platypus and poi'cupine 

 liad led to the suggestion tliat they should meet some day in 

 Australia ; but that he thought this was improbable at present, 

 owing to the time it would take and the cost, and he suggested 

 that we should make preparations for tlie realisation of the pro- 

 .posal by bringing about a federation or union of tlie members of 

 the scientific societies of Au.stralia, Tasmania, and New Zealand 

 into an association on the lines of the British Association, and 

 that the first meeting should be in 1 888, as one of the features of 

 the Centennial year. He had previously, viz., in 1879, mentioned 

 the proposal to a few, but thinking matters were hardly ripe to 

 press it he liad not gone further. Nearly two years then elapsed 

 and no one took up the suggestion, so in his address as President 

 of the Royal Society in May, 1886, he said, "I am still of 

 opinion tliat arrangements should be made for holding a meeting 



* See Appendix for this and other particulars. 



