XX President's Address 



Our intercourse with kindred societies has still further 

 increased, and we are now receiving most valuable con- 

 tributions in the shape of books and pamphlets from nearly 

 a hundred learned bodies. This fact renders the temporary 

 cessation of the publication of our transactions doubly a 

 matter of regret, as we are thus unable to keep up that 

 regular exchange which these societies have a right to 

 expect. I trust, however, we shall soon be in a position to 

 resume the quarterly or half-yearly issue of our transactions. 



On occasions like these it is more usual to review the 

 past year's progTess in science and arts generally, than 

 dwell at length upon what has been done within our own 

 Society, which is familiar to you all. I shall therefore not 

 detain you with any further details of our two last sessions, 

 but invite your attention to several matters of interest 

 cognate to the objects of our Society, which refer to the 

 progress of knowledge, both in this colony and abroad. 



In the first place I would bring under your notice the two 

 years' history and present state of our several public 

 scientific establishments. Botanical science is largely 

 indebted to the labours of our member. Dr. Yon Mueller, 

 the head of the Botanical department of Victoria. One of 

 the prominent results of Dr. Mueller's investigations is the 

 j^ublication of the Universal Flora of Australia (under the 

 editorship of Mr. Bentham), to which Dr. Mueller is the 

 principal contributor ; the fifth volume has, by this time, 

 passed the press in London. This work, when completed, 

 will be the only one extant that deals universally with the 

 flora of a large division of the earth's surface. It will form 

 a permanent basis of all future research with respect to the 

 adaptability of Australian plants to medicine, the arts, or 

 other useful purposes. 



You will be glad to learn that Dr. Mueller is about to 

 establish a permanent phytological collection in our new 



