THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA.' 



By J. P. Thomson, F. 11. S. G. S. 



In an anniversary address of this kind, it seems to me a first duty to 

 acknowledge Low deeply sensible .1 am of the honor you were pleased 

 to confer upon me by unanimously electing me to the distinguished 

 position of president of this society at last annual meeting. True it is 

 that since the foundation of the society I had always endeavored to 

 further the interests of our cause in every possible way during many 

 years of actual self-denial, as honorary secretary, and there was, indeed, 

 a time during an earlier period of our history when the secretarial 

 duties were combined with those of treasurer and librarian. But these 

 labors were lightened and enlivened by the love and enthusiasm that 

 inspired them, by the support of a few x>ersonal friends, and by the 

 hope that my adopted country and its rising generation would be ben- 

 efited, both educationally and commercially, by a well-established 

 national institution for the collation and dissemination of geographical 

 knowledge. That my fondest hopes were not altogether in vain, nor 

 the efforts so cheerfully given fruitless is, I think, clearly enough shown 

 by the recognized position we now occupy among the scientific and 

 literary institutions of the world, and by the splendid collections of 

 valuable books and maps with which our library shelves are enriched. 

 To the honest laborer for love, whether physical or mental, no other 

 recompense is looked for than an inward consciousness of endeavoring 

 to do good. Still, in the case of ourselves, we may fairly claim that our 

 efforts have been amply justified by results. It seems to be a custom, 

 sanctioned by usage, that the president of a society such as ours should 

 have conceded to him the privilege of delivering an address to the 

 members at the end of his term of office. That, in fact, appears to be 

 the last act of a drama in which he has had to play the leading part — 

 by no means an easy one, although in this case peculiarly pleasant. 

 In my own case it must be confessed that a difficuly was experienced 

 in the choice of a suitable subject, not but that there are several impor- 

 tant and even interesting ones, more or less connected with the depart- 



1 Address to the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Brisbane, July 22, 1895. 

 By tlie president, J. P. Thomson, F. R. S. G. S.,.F. S. Sc. (Loud.). Printed in Pro- 

 ceedings ami Transactions, Vol. X. 



245. 



