394 Proceedings. 
Resolved —'That the thanks of the society be presented to the Secretary, 
Thomas Kirk, Esq. F.L.S., for the zealous manner in which his duties have 
been performed, and that a separate record of this resolution be made on the 
minutes of this meeting. 
SgcoNp Meetine. 9th June, 1873. 
His Honour T. B. Gillies, President, in the chair: 
New members.—J. A. Pond, J. Anderson, L. D. Nathan, W. Goodfellow, 
F. J. Moss. 
The list of donations to the Library and Museum was read by the 
Secretary. 
The President delivered the following anniversary 
ADDRESS. 
In opening the sixth session of this Institute I cannot refrain from 
congratulating you on the progress and prosperity of our institution. When, 
six years ago, our first President (Mr. Whitaker) addressed you at the opening 
of the institution, he— notwithstanding the encouragement to be derived from 
the small beginnings of the Royal Society of England and the Academy of 
France, which he adduced—ventured only to express “a wavering hope," 
* rather than a belief,” in our future career, And though in some respects our 
society has not attained to the usefulness to which its founders hoped it would 
have attained, in others it has, I think, exceeded their most sanguine antici- 
pations When I observe that our original 68 members in 1868 have now 
increased to 185; when I see that we stand first on the list of affiliated 
societies to the New Zealand Institute in point of numbers ; when I observe 
that we stand second only to the central institution at Wellington in either 
the number or quality of contributions towards recording scientific facts, 
I think we have reason to congratulate ourselves on the success of our 
institution. Our contributors of papers have been fewer than I could have 
desired and, I think, fewer than they might have been, and the attendance at 
our meetings smaller than I had hoped for ; nevertheless, the contributions to 
our Museum, and the numbers of visitors to it, prove that our efforts have not 
been altogether unavailing in maintaining and increasing an interest in the 
pursuit and results of physical science. Many of you, I doubt not, have 
planted shrubs and trees, the growth of which you have attentively watched, 
and, I doubt not, have observed that, as a rule, your short-lived shrubs have 
in growth rapidly outstripped your trees whose age can only be measured by 
centuries; that your long-lived trees take many years ere they put forth 
strong, vigorous shoots, and very many more ere they produce either blossom 
