b TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Yesterday while mentioning to Professor Herdman the 

 subject of my address and the suggestions I intended to 

 lay before you, he produced from a drawer a bundle of 

 papers which showed me that he had forestalled them by 

 ten years. His hope at that time was to see all the 

 Scientific Societies united into one, meeting at the Royal 

 Institution, with one fund, one conjoint publication and 

 one library — not several libraries, as now, reduplicating 

 some of their serials, and neglecting others — where the 

 members could read comfortably and meet each other and 

 their scientific friends. 



Notwithstanding that my scheme has been forestalled 

 I need not say that it gave me great pleasure to find that 

 I should to-night have one able supporter in these sug- 

 gestions. I had dared to urge a union of the Biological 

 Societies only ; but I should only too heartily welcome the 

 larger scheme of Professor Herdman, and I venture to 

 commend it anew to the Presidents and Councils of all the 

 Scientific Societies in Liverpool, in the earnest hope that 

 before the close of the century, we may witness, if not, 

 a Eoyal Society of Liverpool, as I see no reason why we 

 should not, at least, a Liverpool Biological Institute, with 

 a reputation worthy of this University city, and second to 

 none in the kingdom for the wide scope, originality and 

 thoroughness of its contributions to science. 



