APPENDIX TO president's ADDRESS. 15 



APPENDIX TO ADDRESS. 



On SepteinbeT- 16, 1884, Professor Liversidge wrote the 

 following letter, wliicli appeared in the Sydney papers that date, 

 was aftei'wards reproduced by most of the other Colonial and 

 some of the Home papers : — 



THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 

 To THE Editor. 



Sir, — During the past fortnight we have received several telegrams from 

 London, respecting the late meeting of the British Association, at Montreal, 

 and in some of them references are made to suggestions that a future 

 meeting shoukl he held in Australia. 



As far as one can judge, the idea seems to have been thrown out when 

 Professor Moseley, F.R.S., announced Mr. Caldwell's discovery of the 

 oviparous nature of the platypus and Austrahan porcupine*. The news 

 seems to liave created or rather re-awakened interest in the peculiarities of 

 Australian Natural History, and on the spur of the moment some of the 

 more enthusiastic members appear to have proposed tliat a subsequent 

 meeting of the British Association should be held in Australia. 



The Victorian Premier, with commendable promptitude, at once tele- 

 graphed the necessary invitation for the Association to visit IMelbourne 

 next year ; an invitation might also have gone from Sydney, and especially 

 under the circumstances. Without such invitation the meeting is not 

 likely to take place here, for tlie Association only visits towns to wliich it 

 i-i invited, and generally tliere is more or less competition amongst the 

 principal towns to secure the acceptance of their invitations, and to bring 

 this ahout the competing towns offer as many attractions as possible. 



For the Montreal Session, all the great English Steamship Companies 

 between England and America, and the Canadian and United States 

 Railway Companies reduced their fares to members and their families ; tlie 

 Government Hallways were, of course, made free to them, and the Tele- 

 graph Companies also granted free use of their lines all over Canada and 

 the United States. Numerous free excursions were arranged to places of 

 interest, some extending over a period of twelve or fourteen days, the 

 members and their famihes merely paying for their meals and sleeping- 

 berths at quite nominal rates. 



In addition to tlie reductions made by the Steamship Companies, the 

 Canadian Committee voted .$14,000 for the purpose of still further reducing 

 tlie cost of members" (and of their relatives ) passages to Canada. The 

 Australian Colonies would of course gladly help in the same way ; but, 

 taking the much greater expense and time of voyage into account, the 

 amount to be raised here would have to be many times as much. 



I am, however, very much afraid that, although Australia, New 

 Zealand, and the Islands offer great attractions to many of the members (I 

 know of one eminent scientific man who is returning to England, via Aus- 

 ti-alia from the Montreal meeting), yet, but comparatively few could afford 

 the tinie and money to come out here. 



The visit to Montreal, and the excursions through Canada and the 

 United States could all be managed in a month or six weeks, and at a 

 comparatively snuill expense — in fact, most of those who went to Canada 

 made the trip do duty for the annual autumn holiday or visit to the sea- 

 side ; but out of the 2,000 to 3,000 members and associates ('2,714 attended 



* Sent from Sydney by cable. 



