PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 21 



Lady Members, and to see them take an active part in our 

 work. We have had papers from them, and to one lady has 

 been awarded the Mansel-Pleydell Medal. The President of 

 the Mathematical and Physical Science Section of the British 

 Association made the subject of his address last year the 

 scope and tendencies of Modern Mathematics, and dwelt upon 

 the great development that had taken place in their use in 

 connection with almost all the Physical Sciences. This 

 advance has been very great since my own Cambridge days, 

 though they were then used in investigating many sciences 

 besides Astronomy, with which, I suppose, they .were in- 

 separably connected in its early infancy. In fact, Pure 

 Mathematics, which may with some slight restrictions be 

 called the only exact science, is useful in almost every study, 

 as in most other things of life to a greater or less extent ; but, 

 as he pointed out, the advances in Mathematics themselves 

 are made by those who study them for their own sake and not 

 for their usefulness in outside matters. The protection of 

 Nature has been more or less carried out officially in our own 

 and other countries ; but in Canada promises to be more fully 

 taken in hand by a Commission which has just issued its first 

 report. It is intended to found a University at Hong Kong, 

 and most of the necessary funds have been subscribed. The 

 enormous gifts for scientific purposes in America far eclipse 

 anything that we can hope to get in this country, and I think 

 that we may congratulate ourselves that we manage as well 

 as we do under the circumstances. In Germany the Kaiser 

 Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of Science has lately 

 been started, I believe successfully, though the terms of 

 membership sound most alarming, the entrance fee being no 

 less than 1,000 and the subscription 50 a year. The 

 Emperor is at the head, and there fortunately appears to be 

 a rule that scientific men may be elected as Honorary 

 Members, as otherwise they, not being usually rich, would 

 be conspicuous by their absence. I regret to see that another 

 attempt is being made to bring in the Daylight Saving Bill, 

 and also another Bill, containing about an equal amount of 



