The President's Address. By Dukinfield H. Scott. 133 



constituted to the end of his life his only official quarters. It 

 looks exactly like a porter's lodge, and the savant whom it sheltered 

 was often addressed by strangers as the concierge, a comic situation 

 which he thoroughly enjoyed. Visitors to the laboratory, as I 

 know to my cost, were sometimes the victims of the same mistake, 

 and were not always equally capable of dealing with the position. 



In this tiny laboratory the material result of Eenault's labours 

 is now deposited, in the form of no less than 7000 preparations 

 showing the structure of fossil plants, almost all of them, as I 

 understand, the work of his own hands. He utilised, of course, at 

 the same time the great collections of the museum. " The fossil 

 impressions," as M. Eoche says, " were his herbarium, the silicified 

 wood his anatomical material." 



The eminent physiologist, Paul Bert, interested himself in 

 Eenault's work, and it was through his efforts that the latter was 

 authorised to give a course on Vegetable Palaeontology, undoubtedly 

 the most important course of lectures ever given on this subject. 

 It extended over five years, from 1879-83, and was almost wholly 

 based on his own researches. After every lecture there was a 

 demonstration of the actual specimens and preparations, and each 

 hearer received a copy of the illustrations prepared for the course. 

 The lectures of the first four years were published at Eenault's own 

 expense, and form his famous " Cours de Botanique Fossile," a 

 classical work, which will always be indispensable to the student 

 of fossil plants. The groups dealt with are exclusively the fossil 

 Vascular Cryptogams and Gymnosperms. Then, as now, there was 

 much difficulty and dispute as to the true boundary between these 

 two divisions, though the position of the contested frontier has 

 somewhat shifted since those days. The limits of the " Cours " are 

 still those within which the real triumphs of fossil botany have 

 been won. A smaller and more popular manual was published in 

 1888, " Les Plantes Fossiles." It was a great misfortune that the 

 course was never resumed. Paul Bert wished to have a Chair of 

 Vegetable Palaeontology founded for Eenault, which was obviously 

 the right thing to do ; but this, and all other efforts on his behalf, 

 were unhappily frustrated. Simultaneously with the commence- 

 ment of this course, in 1879, Eenault brought out his important 

 work, " Sur la Structure Comparee de quelques Tiges de la Flore 

 Carbonifere." Besides other investigations of much value, this 

 memoir contains his wonderful account of the complete structure 

 of the fossil Gymnospermous family, Cordaitese, in all their organs 

 reproductive as well as vegetative, perhaps the most remarkable 

 redintegration of a wholly extinct group of plants which has yet 

 been accomplished. The " Tiges Comparees " was his main thesis 

 for the degree of Doctor of Natural Science. 



Eenault's work went on amid depressing conditions of neglect 

 and even hostility. I am neither able nor willing to dwell on the 



