PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE OF CANTERBURY. 
First Meerine. 6th March, 1872. 
His Honour Mr. Justice Gresson, President, in the chair. 
The President delivered the following 
ADDRESS. 
GENTLEMEN,— 
He who has to address ex cathedraé persons who are much better acquainted 
with the subject than the speaker, must always find himself placed in an 
embarrassing position. Such is the position in which your kindness in electing 
me as your president has placed me this evening. 
My first impulse was to decline the honour, solely from a conviction that 
many whom I address are much better qualified for the office than I am. 
But further reflection convinced me that in a new country like this he best 
discharges his duty towards the colony who, putting aside considerations of a 
personal nature, undertakes and performs to the best of his ability the task 
assigned to him by his fellow colonists. Moreover, he must remember that in a 
colony every person, however limited his acquirements, has more influence and 
consequently greater responsibility than he would have in an old and populous 
country. ; 
I congratulate you on the progress which the society has made during the 
past year. The number of members continues to increase. Part of the 
income of the society has been devoted to the purchase of scientific works of 
reference, the want of which was much felt, and as several donations of books 
have been received from scientific societies, and from individuals, we already 
possess the nucleus of a library. If, in addition to this, we could obtain the 
Provincial Council library, from which at present the public derives but little 
benefit, we should have made some progress towards the acquisition of a 
library, which, if thrown open to the public, as has been done at Melbourne 
for years with most beneficial results, would confer a great boon upon the 
community. 
You are aware that in February, 1871, an ordinance of the Provincial 
Council was passed, incorporating a Board of Trustees by the name of “The 
