19 



well. Now, of those 75, some are to-day very abundant, but about 

 a dozen would require a great deal of looking for. The 

 interesting "Rambles of a "Naturalist," by our worthy 

 Secretary, would, perhaps, bear revision, as far as its list of plants 

 is concerned ; although, for reasons touched upon in this paper, 

 it does not do to use the pruning knife too freely. A few additions 

 might be made. Some people collect plants, and some study and 

 love them. Collectors dig up roots to any extent, but botanists — 

 real botanists — gather most sparingly, and not at all if specimens 

 are very scarce. Remember a botanist is a person in love with 

 what is called nature, and is not a destroyer. And now, to con- 

 clude, this paper is not a deep one, nor was it meant to be. "What 

 there is in it in the way of fact, as a result of twenty years' ex- 

 perience, could be amplified and made much more worthy the 

 attention of any scientific botanist. My last word is one of thanks 

 for plants, which I had not before seen in the neighbourhood, re- 

 ceived from Dr. Thomas Eastes, Mrs. Eastes, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. 

 Jenner (of Sandgate), and Mr. Ullyett. I shall be very glad to 

 name local specimens for anybody, as far as may be in my power. 

 Several questions were asked afterwards and replied to by the 

 lecturer, and the usual vote of thanks was awarded. The President 

 was absent through illness. 



Apkil 11th, 1887. 



About sixty members were present, the President in the chair. 

 The Secretary read the following paper on 



THE INFLUENCE OF GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY 

 UPON HISTORY. 



"Man," it has been said, "is the creature of circumstances." 

 This aphorism, taken by itself, conveys a decidedly wrong impres- 

 sion ; in consequence it has been, and still is made, the ground of 

 very erroneous conclusions, especially in reference to moral 

 responsibility. If the assertion were made in reference to the 

 lower animals only, there would be little or nothing to say against 

 it ; and in fact it is the chief article in the creed of the Survival of 

 the Fittest. But so far as human beings are concerned, it has to 

 be checked and modified by a well-known fact, viz : — that man has 

 the power of controlling circumstances, — that he can to a large 

 extent guide them, and even arrange them for himself. Thus, 



