ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 3 
less, especially when the 10s. given to us by Parliament is added 
to every pound subscribed. This premium upon our liberality 
ought to be effective as an inducement to wipe out the building 
debt. I hope the members will feel with me in this matter, and 
then our indebtedness will speedily cease. 
Closely connected with this—in fact owing to it—is our inability 
to publish as soon as read the papers given to the Society. Weeall 
know that in the present day, when scientific workers are found 
the world over, it is often difficult to decide as to the priority of 
discovery, and the date of publication is accepted as the final 
- appeal. Now, with us, papers are read months before they are 
published, hence valuable papers prepared here are sent to the old 
world for publication. Surely we ought to make an effort to 
prevent this, and secure for the Colony the credit of all its 
intellectual activity and to authors the benefit of immediate 
publication. 
— You will ob in the Council’ rt that our ibuti 
the biological laboratory at Watson’s Bay amount to £25 from ii 
Society and £23 18s. from individual members, making a total of 
nearly £50, The contribution from the Society has given us the 
right to nominate a worker, who will be received into the labor- 
atory, with right to use all its appliances free of charge. Thisisa 
fine opportunity, and should not be lost. Any member wishing to 
take advantage of it should send in his application to the Secre- 
es, 
Some of the critici the last volume of our “Transactions” 
have contained Rs upon the Society for the small amount of 
work done by the Sections. Our critics have evidently misunder- 
Stood the purpose for which our Sections were formed. In kindred 
Societies elsewhere the Sections work much as do independent 
Societies devoted to one branch of science, and get through as much 
work as they can. Our Sections do not stand in the same relation 
to the Society. They were formed, as the rule says, “to allow those 
__ ‘Members of the Society who devote attention to particular branches 
