2 President's Address 



two of the more salient points of scientific discovery 

 belonging to the year 1867 ; for the scientific institutions of 

 the Colony derive so much strength and direction from the 

 work done at the older centres of learning, that no review of 

 our progress is, I conceive, adequately represented without 

 some reference to the general progress of human know- 

 ledge. 



If, in referring to the work of our past session I appear to 

 dwell unduly upon some of the subjects which have occu- 

 pied your attention, I ask you to follow me in regarding 

 them as of more than usual interest and importance, and on 

 that account claiming a more detailed consideration. 



During our last session we held eleven ordinary meetings. 

 The papers and the discussions ^following the reading of them 

 were generally of great interest and importance, doubtless 

 aiding us in our advance in the departments of knowledge 

 to which they belong. By the indefatigable zeal of your 

 honorary secretary, Mr. Thomas H. Rawlings, the whole of 

 the last year's Transactions have been printed, and were 

 placed in your hands shortly after the close of the year, and 

 also distributed to the various learned societies with which 

 we are in communication. 



Of the contributions laid before you, two pertain to phy- 

 sical science, three t$ the natural history of Australia, three 

 to the development of our natural resources, two to patholo- 

 gical science, four to the geology, mineralogy, and palaeonto- 

 logy of Australia and New Zealand, one to social science, 

 and two to applied chemistry. 



I will first refer to the Rev. J. E. Tenison Wood's paper " On 

 the Glacial Period of Australia," in which he gives his reasons 

 for concluding that " during the Glacial period of Europe 

 our continent and seas have passed through a subtropical 

 climate," or at least a much warmer one than we now experi- 

 ence. He stated, as you well remember, that he did not base his 



