xliii. 



certain recent visitors, competent to judge, to be of a very low 

 degree ? It is obvious that a combination of members can 

 produce a greater amount of valuable results than they would 

 in the aggregate if working independently. And this Society, 

 in its corporate capacity, performs services which no individual 

 or individuals unassociated could render. It is a connecting 

 link between the scientific workers of this and the neighbouring 

 colonies. 



The contention is, that because an individual cannot take an 

 active part in the Society it is no commendable reason for his 

 refusal to aid it. There are several gentlemen having natural 

 history predilections who have and may profit by the results 

 already achieved by the Society, yet are devoid of a patriotism 

 for science ; and there are others foremost among us as phy- 

 sicists, who if they were zealous in the cause of science would 

 embrace the opportunity afforded by the meetings of the 

 Society to communicate to an anxious and intelligent section 

 of the community the results of investigation which they have 

 been enabled to prosecute at the country's expense. 



In some respects the members of this Society have themselves 

 to blame, and I must acknowledge that I have been at times 

 much disheartened at the apparent apathy for that which con- 

 cerns the very existence of the Society. If the fault has been 

 mine, then I shall be only too glad, for the Society's welfare, 

 that it be proved from this evening forthwith to have been so. 



In the President-elect you have a gentleman who brings a 

 prestige to the Society, and whose well-known earnestness in 

 the discharge of all public duties is a guarantee that in him 

 you will have a warm advocate and a zealous partisan. He has 

 told you that he is not a scientist, but in doing so he gives to 

 the word a very restricted definition. We have had, perhaps, 

 too much of what he regards as science — not too much abso- 

 lutely, but rather too little of what is not natural science — and 

 we anticipate that under the fostering care of our new Presi- 

 dent greater attention will be given to those departments of 

 science which have been neglected by us for some years past. 



In adopting the title of Royal Society of South Australia 

 you have imposed on yourselves greater obligations. And as 

 the change of title cannot materially affect the constitution of 

 the Society, it behoves its members to greater exertions to 

 justify their high pretensions. Let each member strive to 

 deserve the honour of being its President. 



It affords one pleasure to note the increasing activity of the 

 several scientific bodies throughout the Australian Colonies, as 

 is partly indicated in the summary of recent progress in 

 natural history with which I shall conclude this address. New 

 life has been infused into the almost defunct Microscopical 



