NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 



SESSION 1895-96. 



6th November^ iSgs. 



INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT. 

 Robert Llo\d Patterson, Esq., J. P., F.L.S. 



The President, in opening the proceedings, said his thanks 

 were due to his fellow-members of the Council for electing him 

 again president of that Society, and he could only say that he 

 should endeavour to discharge the duties connected with that 

 position to the best of his ability. His thanks were also due 

 to the members of the audience for their kindness in gracing 

 by their presence the opening meeting of the session. Before 

 proceeding with the business of the meeting, he thought it was 

 due to the memory of two great men, who had since the Society's 

 last meeting there been removed from the scene of their earthly 

 labours, to make a brief allusion to those two men, who belonged 

 to different and sometimes antagonistic nationalities — England 

 and France. The Englishman was Professor Huxley and the 

 Frenchman was M. Pasteur. Both adorned the countries which 

 gave them birth ; both were distinguished ornaments of the 

 sciences of which they were accomplished exponents. It was 

 not too much to say that the commanding genius of Huxley 

 shed lustre on the period in which he lived, and had exerted a 

 profound and lasting influence on the scientific thought of that 

 period. Of M. Pasteur they knew less, [except in connection 

 with the successful result of his researches into the combating 



