Notes on the History of the Royal Physical Society. 109 



wherever Natural Science is cultivated. Of such names I 

 need only mention those of John Eeid, John Goodsir, 

 Edward Forbes, James Young Simpson, Wyville Thomson, 

 and W. B. Carpenter. 



If, then, the traditions and memories of the past are such 

 as entitle the Koyal Physical Society to the sympathy of 

 men of Science, at least in Edinburgh and in Scotland, and 

 to their good wishes for its future prosperity, it only remains 

 for me to ask along what lines the Society should work to 

 merit the success which we desire. I speak as an individual, 

 but I think, unquestionably I think, we should continue to 

 work along those which were adopted when the publication 

 of Proceedings was commenced. The Society is now no 

 longer a medical or a debating Society, nor one for treating 

 matters of Science from the purely popular standpoint. It 

 is distinctly a Society for the encouragement of oric^inal 

 observation and research, and for the recording of ascertained 

 scientific fact. It is a Society to which the older workino- 

 members may contribute their shorter papers, especially those 

 of local interest, and where the younger men, meeting their 

 elders on terms of common Fellowship, may acquire the art of 

 writing and of demonstrating the results of their early labours. 



Our Society does not in any way seek to interfere with the 

 proper functions of the Eoyal Society of Edinburgh. Many 

 of us are members of both, and our loyalty to the Eoyal is 

 in no way interfered with by our support of the Eoyal 

 Physical, and though both Societies are associations for the 

 promotion and publicatiou of original research, their position 

 with regard to each other and to the scientific public is 

 obviously somewhat different. 



Then again, among all the branches of what is widely 

 termed Physical Science, Zoology has, since the issue of 

 publications, and long before that, occupied by far the chief 

 place in the Society's work, though other departments of 

 Natural History have not been altogether excluded, such as 

 Geology, more especially in its palgeontological aspects, as 

 was indeed becoming in the Society of Fleming and Hugh 

 Miller. That the Society may work along these lines in the 

 future is the hope and desire of the writer of the above notes. 



