xli 



ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS, APRIL, 1905. 



The Fellows of the Eoyal Society of 

 Tasmania opened their session for 1905, 

 being the 62nd, at their rooms, on Tues- 

 day, April 11, 1905. His Excellency the 

 Governor, Sir Gerald Strickland, 

 K.C.M.G., President of the Society (ac- 

 companied by La>dy Edeline Strickland, 

 Miss Drummond, and suite), presided. 

 There was an excellent attendaQC>e of 

 members and friends. Her ladyship 

 was presented with a handsome bouquet 

 of flowere by the secretary (Mr. Alex. 

 Morton), on behalf of the Council of the 

 Society, upon her arrival. 



Apologies. 



Apologies were received from Colonel 

 W. V. Legge, R.A., Mr. E. M. Johnston, 

 I.S.O., r.S.S., and Mr. Eussell Young. 



Addresses of Welcome. 

 Mr. A. G. Webst^er, Chairman of the 

 Council, addressing His Excellency, said : 

 — Before they began the business of the 

 evening, a pleasing duty devolved upon 

 him. This was the first meeting of the 

 Fellows of the Society since His Excel- 

 lency had arrived, and had kindly con- 

 sented to become their president, ex-of- 

 ficio. He, therefore, took the opportuniiy 

 of offering His Excellency, on behalf of 

 the Council and Fellows, a very cordial 

 and hearty welcome. They all felt very 

 much gratified that His Excellency had «o 

 readily acceded to the request to become 

 their president, and to on that' occasion 

 encourage the members by delivering 

 the opening address. His Excellency 

 no doubt had already become ac- 

 quainted with the history of the 

 foundation of the Society by that distin- 

 guished man. Sir John Franklin, and, 

 therefore, he (the speaker) need not take 

 up time by dwelling on that subject, but 

 content himself by saying he hoped that 

 the 1905 session, so auspiciously began, 

 would be productive of many valuable pa- 

 pers on the advancement of the State, ant! 

 would add to the reputation already so 

 •widely spread which was enjoyed by the 

 Society. He again bade His Excellency 

 a very hearty welcome. (Warm applause.) 



Medical Section. 

 Hon. Dr. G. M. Butler, M.L.C., said 

 ■^''-"at, in the absence of the President of 

 the Medical Section of the Society (Dr. 

 Wolfhagen), it devolved upon him to ex- 

 press to His Excellency, on behalf of that 

 section, their most hearty welcome. Of ne- 

 cessity, the meetings of the Medical Sec- 

 tion were held in committee ; but he as- 

 sured His Excellency that those meetings 

 resulted in considerable benefit to the 



community at large, as well as to the 

 members of this Society. It had been, as 

 the chairman of the Council had just said, 

 a matter for congratulation to the Society 

 that they had had so many distinguishes! 

 presidents, and now they were very grat' 

 lied to have His Excellency at their head. 

 (Applause.) 



New Members. 



The following gentlemen were unani- 

 mouslv elected members of the Society: — 

 'Mr. Geo. Alex. Webster, B.A„ M.E.C.S., 

 Eng., M.B., Cantab; Mr. W. £. Masters, 

 LL.B.; Mr. J. E. Smivhi, B.Sc; Hon. 

 Ellis Dean, M.L.C.; and Mr. Percy Ash. 



PEESIDENTIAL ADDEESS. 



"DUTIES OF LEISUEE." 

 His Excellency the Governor delivered 

 the following presidential address : — 



Mr. Chairman, Members of the Coun- 

 cil, and Fellows of the Eoyal Society, — 

 The honour of addressing this Society as 

 its president ex-officio is, at the same time, 

 amongst the most pleasant and the most 

 arduous of the duties devolving on the 

 Governor of this Slate; it has been for- 

 cibly brought to my notice that the Eoyal 

 Society of Tasmania is the senior Eoyal 

 Society established in the Southern Hemi- 

 sphere, and the vigour Avith which the 

 point has been pressed has tempted me to 

 examine if this be a mere coincidence, or 

 the result of some relation of Cause anti 

 Effect. 



One of the reasons that 6Uggest« 

 itself at once is, that the exception- 

 ally healthy climate of this beautiful is- 

 land produces a high average of bodily 

 and mental vigour, and that opportunities 

 for industrial prosperity have made tiie 

 struggle to live much easier in Tasmania 

 than elsewhere in the Southern continent. 

 Where the struggle to live is lesis severe, 

 the fruits of realised labour become secure 

 at an early stage of colonisation, and a 

 leisured class arises which may devote its 

 spare time and energy to divers pursuits 

 other than the quest of riches. The geo- 

 graphical position of Tasmania, well out 

 of the tropics, has allowed our people to 

 escape the fate of others in fertile sub- 

 tropical lands on both sides of the world, 

 where life has become too easy, and the 

 '•dolce far niente" has dragged down 

 communities full of promise to nothing 

 better than a sybaritic existence. Accident 

 has also favoured Tasmania in adopting a 

 lofty view of the opportunities of leisure 

 — the presence here, at the dawn of our 

 social life, of that eminent pioneer of mo- 

 dern scientific research, Sir John Frank- 



