PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE OF CANTERBURY. 



First Meeting. Qtth March, 1872. 

 His Honour Mr. Justice Gresson, President, in the chair. 

 The President delivered the following 



ADDRESS. 



Gentlemen, — 



He who has to address ex cathedrd 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 



