for the year 1865. 7 



a sort of vicarious life from one or other great name, which 

 stood in onr foremost rank, or from some happy accident, 

 which, if removed, would cause the whole constitution to 

 fade away into oblivion. 



The labours of last year, to which I shall soon have to 

 advert, will tell first how the Eoyal Society prospered under 

 a great scientific name ; how we got the measure of our real 

 streng-th when we had come to know the full measure of our 

 weakness ; how we found our feet on firm ground, our knees 

 strong, and our heads clear ; how we made an estimate of 

 our total strength ; and then, gentlemen of the Society, how 

 you dared to commit the destinies of this hopeful year to me 

 and my colleagues in the Council. From the dislike which 

 I always had of seeing men enter who had little or no fitness 

 for helping in the work of such a body — and, may I say, 

 from the gladness I felt in seeing them withdraw — I may, 

 perhaps, be exposed to exaggerate when I congratulate you 

 with all my heart on the present state of vitality in this our 

 Royal Society. My reasons for this congratulation will be 

 supplied by the matters which I have condensed, as much as 

 in my power, into the paragraphs on which I must now 

 enter. 



At every one of the nineteen Ordinary Meetings we had 

 read one or more papers, each and all of an interesting and 

 useful character. 



And perhaps the most striking of the many indications of 

 real vitality may be found in the fact that I can announce 

 that a new volume of our Transactions v/ill soon be in your 

 hands, which, for solid matter in a condensed form, is second 

 to none which has preceded it : and which is a subject of 

 congratula^tion in another sense, because it enables us to 

 reciprocate our labours mth the maaiy cognate societies over 

 the civilized world with which we correspond. I am also 

 enabled to say that it will soon be followed by another 



