president's address. 107 



the neighbourhood of Richmond, is in the possession of the 

 Naturalists' Club there, and must be of infinite use to the mem- 

 bers who prosecute botanical studies, for there can be no greater 

 help, especially to younger students, and nothing that can tend 

 more to stimulate exertion, than such an opportunity of referring 

 to correctly named specimens. My lamented friend had for years 

 paid great attention to the willows which abound on the pictur- 

 esque banks of the Swale. To Mr. Ward and the late Mr. Borrer 

 are chiefly due any merits belonging to the ' ' Salietum Britanni- 

 cum Exsiccatum" published by me now many years ago. For the 

 last year or two, after a long cessation of correspondence, I often 

 consulted him, by sending him specimens, and always with ad- 

 vantage to myself. Our frequent correspondence during the last 

 years of Mr. "Ward's life must have been of the nature of a pre- 

 sentiment on my part of his removal ere long from amongst us ; — 

 " Quasi jam divinarem," to quote the words of Cicero, "illo ex- 

 tin cto fore uncle discerem neminem." Mr. Ward was a great 

 sufferer latterly from a form of rheumatism called carditis, but 

 his love of plants lasted as long as life, and I well remember the 

 delight with which he received from me a specimen of the new 

 AmmopMle Baltica, which I went to Ross Links on purpose to 

 gather. 



We have also to regret the loss of two distinguished names 

 from our list of honorary members, the Venerable Prof. Sedgwick, 

 one of the fathers of English geology, whose lectures I myself 

 attended with delight, at Cambridge, forty years ago, and the 

 accomplished naturalist, Prof. John Phillips, of Oxford. And 

 nearer home the Society has to lament the death, at Elorence, of 

 Mr. Joseph Watson, Jun., of Gateshead, a member of the Com- 

 mittee of the Club, and an enthusiastic naturalist. These are 

 painful reminiscences belonging to the year that is past. I pass 

 on to more cheering thoughts. 



The spirit of discovery was at no former period more active. 

 The great Nile problem, reaching back to the days of Ptolemy, 

 will no doubt ere long be fully solved, and perhaps as indicated 

 by that great geographer so long ago. Yet it is a melancholy 

 thought that the illustrious Livingstone has not lived to report 



