256 president's address. 



attached to them, as an important breeding place of sea fowl. 

 Mr. William Kell, who was President for the years 1857 and 

 1858, at all times felt great interest in the Club, and during his 

 Presidency did good service by the pains he took in conjunction 

 with the Treasurer and Secretaries in getting the accounts of the 

 Club, which were in much confusion at the time, into order. 

 The fourth deceased President is Dr. Johnson, of Sunderland. 

 We all remember the sad circumstances of his death, and how it 

 pleased God, in 1861, to strike him down in a moment, when 

 in the full vigour of apparent health and strength, in that very 

 year in which we had marked our appreciation of the many 

 high qualities which he possessed by electing him our President. 

 Among others who are gone, and whose names should be remem- 

 bered by us for the position which they held in our Club, may 

 be mentioned Mr. Thomas Burnet, who for many years as Trea- 

 surer most carefully and prudently conducted the monetary trans- 

 actions of the Club : he was fond of botany, though he made no 

 pretension to be a scientific naturalist. Mr. Storey was for many 

 years an active Secretary : he was also a good botanist, and at 

 the time of his death was preparing a flora of the district. The 

 name of Mr. Loftus must always be remembered as one of the 

 notables of the Club. He was an excellent geologist, and for 

 some time a Secretary of the Natural History Society. He was 

 appointed on the Turko-Persian Commission, and spent four years 

 under Sir W. P. Williams, of Ears (then Colonel Williams), in 

 Asia Minor and Assyria. In 1853 he was again sent out by 

 the Assyrian Society, to follow up those researches in Assyria 

 which he had commenced on his former visit. On his return he 

 published a very interesting volume, containing an account of his 

 travels and researches in Babylonia, Chaldea, and Susiana. He 

 subsequently went out on the staff of the Geological survey of 

 India. His health however gave way : he set out to return to 

 England, but died during the voyage. The name of Mr. George 

 Burnett, an excellent chemist and mineralogist, should also be 

 mentioned as having been intimately associated with the Natural 

 History party of Newcastle. There are others whose names are 

 often met with in the earlier Transactions of the Club, and who 



