President's Address. 191 



was chosen its Treasurer, winch office he filled for many years, 

 and took an active part in the Society's business. For the 

 last few years, however, owing to feeble health, he has but 

 seldom attended our meetings, and now he has passed away 

 ripe in years, to the regret of his family and numerous friends. 

 Dr Bryce's death occurred under very melancholy circum- 

 stances. In the month of July last he had gone to the 

 Highlands on a geological excursion. Passing through 

 Inverness, he had reached Foyers, a place well known for its 

 waterfall, and started early in the day, walking to the Pass 

 of Inverfarigaig for the purpose of examining the rocks there. 

 He was not seen again until his dead body was found much 

 mutilated at the foot of a precipice at that place, from the 

 top of which he had evidently fallen. Dr Bryce was a 

 native of Belfast, but went early in life to Glasgow, where he 

 was occupied as one of the teachers in the High School of 

 that city. About three years ago he retired from his pro- 

 fession and came to reside in Edinburgh. The doctor, besides 

 taking an interest in, and being versed in other sciences, was 

 an advanced and talented geologist, and since he joined our 

 Society, which was only recently, he has contributed to its 

 Transactions, or at least he read a paper last session which I 

 recollect led to much friendly and animated discussion. Had 

 he lived, there was every promise that he would have taken 

 an active and lively share in its business meetings. On that 

 account alone we have much cause to regret his untimely 

 death, but our deep sympathy with his family, on whom such 

 a great and unexpected calamity has fallen, must here be 

 feelingly expressed and recorded. 



The subject of the following address is a sketch or general 

 inquiry and review of the progress of science during the 

 last fifty years, with a hasty and comparative glance back- 

 wards at the work of the preceding half-century. Consider- 

 ing the large field to be gone over, this review must necessarily 

 be very superficial and incomplete, but still, with all the 

 brevity and incompleteness of the sketch, I have considered 

 that it might not be unprofitable to occupy an hour or so in 

 looking at the present through the light of the past. 



