£^prmg iiHming;, 1555. 



THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



It is, I am informed, usual in the President's Annual 

 Address, in the first place to make mention of the losses which 

 the Institution has sustained during the preceding year by the 

 death of auy of its members. On the present occasion I regret 

 to say the task has devolved upon me of deploring one of the 

 greatest losses which has ever befallen this ancient society. I 

 refer to the death of the late Dr. Charles Barham, an eminent 

 physician ; a cultured man of letters and of science ; an energetic 

 citizen devoted to the public service of his birth-place ; a kind 

 large-hearted neighbour, and full of christian charity ; his loss 

 will be felt far and wide for many a long year to come. As a 

 member and friend of this Institution liis services and devotion 

 have been indeed remarkable. For more than half a century, 

 I believe, he has been one of the most active, enterprising and 

 scientific of itsjmembers, and up to a very short timo before his 

 death he was taking the lead of the youngest of us in the 

 promotion of a'^scheme for extending its usefulness. May we 

 not hope that the fact of this scheme, for extending the 

 buildings in connection with our Museum for the science and 

 art classes, having been so dear to our lost friend, will lend an 

 additional zest to the contributors, and that we shall soon see 

 the required funds collected. If this be so, I feel sure that one 

 of his last and great desires will have been accomplished in the 

 manner he would himself have desired most. Dr. Barham 

 passed away at the ripe old age of over four score years, leaving 

 behind him an example of a life spent, not only in searching 

 out nature's secrets and problems, but for the benefit of those 

 amongst whom he lived and died. 



Another good friend of this Institution has passed away 

 since the last Annual Meeting : I refer to Mr. Francis Rogers, 

 of the Crescent, Plymouth, a son of a former Rector of 

 Camborne. He was for many years a member of our Society 



