Foreword. 7 
in South Africa. His well-informed article is 4 useful addition to our study 
of the problem as a whole. The President replies to his critic, but only in a 
short article, explaining that he does not deem it advisable to anticipate 
further the work of the Commission appointed by the acting Governor, Hon* 
C. T. Cox, to deal with the question of the appropriateness of our present 
common law for existing requirements. 
The Rey. Mr. Aiken, our Scientific Assistant Editor, contributes an interest- 
ing account of the neighbouring Dutch Colony of Surinam with which our 
commercial and other relations tend to increase. It was read as the first 
paper of the Society’s year. His brother, Mr. J. W. D. Aiken, during a flying 
visit to the colony, has given us a short survey of the Gold Industry of Sun- 
nam. We can only regret that we cannot offer a similar review of the same 
industry in this colony from that trenchant pen. 
Mr. J. D. Lawrence, Assistant Inspector of Schools, has written an account 
of the Falkland Islands, part of our far flung line of Empire (off the coast of the 
Argentine Republic), the only other South American possession of Great 
Britain. It has been read as a paper at a meeting of the Society. A colony of 
vastly greater importance, and with conditions approximating closely to our 
own in climate and other respects, is dealt with by Mr. Justice Hewick in his 
paper on the Straits Settlements, a country with which he was closely con- 
nected for many years. Sir Walter Egerton’s early career as an Administrator 
is also identified with that colony. The discussion which followed the reading 
has been reproduced on the ground of the parallel or contrast attempted to be 
made between the respective achievements of the two colonies. 
Mr. Benson’s remarks on the Balata Industry are included, not as purporting 
to be a comprehensive survey of the whole position, which we hope to secure 
after the publication of the report of the Balata Committee has stated the 
problem in regard to the relations to employer and labourer, but as making 
several suggestions which appear worthy of investigation by those principally 
engaged. Mr. Benson challenges discussion by his very definite ascription of 
commercial value to other and plentiful forest gums, when mixed with the 
tenacious latex of the mimusops globosa. 
Ina contribution entitled Materia Medica Mr. E. A. V. Abraham, a well- 
known member of the legal profession, proposes to ride a tilt with the British 
Pharmacope a. Like Mr. Benson and ex-President Roosevelt his hat is inthe 
ring. We could not refuse him a suitable arena on neutral ground, but his fate 
be on his own head. Dr. Minett has been able, in spite of the many and grow- 
ing calls upon the Bacteriological Department to which he belongs, to prepare 
for publication his paper on Mosquito Prophylaxis. The valuable work which 
Dr. Wise and his Assistant are performing is more and more assuming the dimer = 
sions of that of a Department of Public Health. A third instalment of the 
catalogue of the Hymenoptera of the Georgetown Museum, which Mr. P. 
Cameron has been kind enough to undertake for the Society, appears in the 
present number. The work will be completed in this volume. The subject 
is referred to in an introduction by Mr. J. Rodway, our Honorary Curator, at 
