PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



ROYAL PHYSICAL SOCIETY. 



SESSION CXVIL 



Wednesday, 21st Decemher 1887. — Professor Duns, D.D., 

 F.E.S.E., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Chairman delivered the following address : 



Gentlemen, — This is the third occasion on which I have 

 had the honour to deliver the Address from the Chair at the 

 opening of a new Session — twice as President, and now as 

 retiring Vice-President. In 1870-71, the centenary Session 

 of the Society, the Address was devoted to a sketch of the 

 life and work of Sir James Y. Simpson, a former President, 

 and to an attempt to estimate the value of the discoveries in 

 marine zoology of Dr Thomas Strethill Wright, also a former 

 President, who at the time was still spared to science, but 

 whose original observations were somewhat unfairly being- 

 accredited to others. In the Address at the opening of 

 Session 1880-81, the subject dealt with was "The Begin- 

 nings of Scottish Natural Science," — running the lines of 

 observation and discovery up to 1684, the date of Sir Eobert 

 Sibbald's great work, ''Scotia Ilhtstrata,'' and using the 

 occasion for a sketch of Sibbald's life. I refer to these 

 matters mainly to get an opportunity to say, that when 

 called to face the duty of this evening, I thought it might 

 be both profitable and stimulating to devote the present 

 address to an outline of the life of our late distinguished 



VOL. IX. 2 D 



