206 president's addeess. 



to do next week. He also informs me that he has mentioned 

 my rescuing this fine lichen from oblivion in his forthcoming 

 'Addenda Nova ad Lichenographiam Europceam,' to be pub- 

 lished next month by A. Hue, Paris. Dr. Nylander, I may 

 observe, is the Prince of Lichenology in Europe." — W. Johnson. 



As I am not a specialist, but a lover of Natural History for 

 itself, I intend to confine myself to some remarks on the position 

 of our Society, which during the forty -two years of its existence 

 has done so much for the study of the beauties of Nature, and 

 has resulted in the publication of Transactions that have become 

 famous throughout the kingdom, on account of their intrinsic 

 scientific value. 



During the thirty-four years of my membership I have num- 

 bered among my friends such eminent men as Alder, Hancock, 

 Sopwith, Belt, Thompson, Charlton, Carr-Ellison, Bigge, Atthey, 

 and others, who, throughout their industrious lives, shed lustre 

 on our Society ; and we still rejoice in the companionship of 

 Mr. Jno. Hancock, Messrs. Green, Blacklock, Adamson, Browell, 

 Dinning, and our indefatigable Secretaries, Messrs. Howse and 

 Thompson. We cannot, however, disguise the fact that we are 

 deficient in young men, whom we might reasonably expect to 

 fill the spaces left in our ranks by the Scythe-bearer. "We 

 want young enthusiastic students, who will be assisted by their 

 elder co-workers in their task of unravelling the mysteries of 

 Nature. 



In 1865 the number of members on the roll was 573. It is 

 now 450 ; a numerical decline of 123 members in twenty-three 

 years. Of the 250 members with us in 1854 but 33 now remain. 

 Amongst that number I find the names of 10 of the original 87 

 members, and out of this 10 we have 3 of the first Committee, 

 Mr. Jno. Hancock, Dr. Embleton, and Mr. Howse. 



The youthful ardour which characterized the work of our and 

 similar Societies a quarter of a century ago does not now make 

 itself so fully manifest. Is it because the younger generation 

 imagines that in the Text Books used in our Schools and Colleges 

 it possesses all that is to be learnt concerning the works of the 



