PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER. Ixv 



realised how much they owe to societies of this sort, both in respect of 

 the additions they make to the stock of general knowledge, and therefore 

 to the amount of human happiness, and also in respect of the bearing 

 both direct and indirect that their operations have in promoting 

 industries, and in increasing the comforts of human existence. Since my 

 connection with this Society I am more than ever convinced of these 

 beneficial tendencies, and I ask you Tasmanians to cherish this Society 

 as a powerful educator ia your midst. By means of the Press who so 

 accurately report our proceedings, and to whom our best thanks are due, 

 our operations are known far beyond these four walls, and are read, I 

 hope, by many with interest and profit, but we want more members. 

 Death, alas ! since our session commenced has removed one of our most 

 valued contributors. I allude to the late Mr. Sprent, whose great loss 

 was so feelingly referred to by several members at our July meeting. 

 We want to increase our numbers. We want the young men to join. 

 They will never regret doing so. We open to them new pleasures 

 healthy and honourable, and new means of usefulness to their kind. 



While much of the success of the Society depends upon each member 

 doing his utmost to help forward its work, and we owe much to those 

 gentlemen who have devoted so much of their time to the objects of this 

 Society, I think a special tribute is due to our secretary, Mr. Morton — 

 (cheers) — who spares himself no trouble, who during this session has 

 issued a compilation of all the papers that have been read at the Society 

 from 1841 to 1885, and whose enthusiasm stirs up all with whom he 

 comes in contact to do, in homely phrase, "their level best" for the 

 Society. 



In bidding you farewell till April, I would say , don't let the time 

 between this and then be lost to the Society. Its borders are so wide 

 that there is room for receiving the work of all. Let every Fellow of the 

 Society who has the necessary leisure devote himself to some branch of 

 investigation, and give us the result of his work. 



Besides original work having special reference to Tasmania, there is 

 much that may be done in bringing before our Society the recent work 

 of kindred societies in similar directions in other places, which will be 

 found in the reports of their proceedings which are sent to our library 

 in exchange for ours. We ought to be abreast of the times, and instead 

 of working in our own groove, which is necessarily narrow, we should 

 take advantage of the labours of others and widen our knowledge, and 

 papers showing what these labours have been would be very useful to 

 our Society. I am satisfied if we act on these lines, having the great 

 standby of such contributors as Mr. Saville-Kent, who, I hope, will 

 continue to submit papers, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Bastow, and others whose 

 original work would lend distinction to any Society, that our pro- 

 ceedings will be such as we can regard with every satisfaction, and that 

 they wfll redound to the credit of this land in which we all, whether 

 we are permanently or temporarily settled in it, take so justifiable 

 a pride. (Cheers.) 



The Hon. P. 0. Fysh said there was one pleasure in which he was 

 sure the whole of those present would join in congratulating the Society 

 upon — that was that His Excellencj' took such a lively interest in all its 

 meetings, and that he had continued to demonstrate an interest in the 

 work committed to the Fellows during the whole of the past year. His 

 Excellency would perceive that their meetings were attended by scientific 

 men, professional men and commercial men. The young men had been 

 referred to, and he thought the young men of this community were 

 fairly represented in the Society, and he was very glad to know that 

 the commercial men of the community were fairly represented, seeing in 

 this fact that those connected with scientific pursuits were working with 

 those engaged in professional pursuits, an indication of their association 



