PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 5 



Department of the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, where he 

 spent nine years in the Metallurgical Department. Here, 

 he became thoroughly conversant with the analysis of 

 metals, especially steel. He gave special attention to the 

 physical methods used in testing the strength, hardness 

 and other qualities of metals. Alloys were a great attrac- 

 tion to him. He discovered and patented a light alloy of 

 high, tensile strength, and became an expert microscopical 

 photographer. His attention was not, however, confined 

 solely to metallurgical work. He devoted some of his 

 energies to the study of explosives, and contributed several 

 papers giving the results of his research thereon. In 1911 

 he came to this State to take charge of the testing depart- 

 ment at the Lithgow Steel Works. He subsequently 

 inaugurated the laboratory of the testing branch of the 

 Department of Public Works in Sydney. His exceptional 

 skill in devising suitable methods contributed greatly to 

 the success of this laboratory, of which he remained in 

 charge up to the time of his death. 



The Reverend William Walter Watts, f.l.s., who was 

 elected a member of this Society in 1915, was born on the 

 5th October, 1856, near Ivybridge, Devonshire, England. 

 He was a student at New College, London, for six years 

 for the Congregational Ministry, but his health failing he 

 came to Australia in 1887. He had a charge at Milton, 

 Queensland, and in 1893 went to New Zealand. Later he 

 had a charge at Orange, New South Wales. Subsequently, 

 he joined the Presbyterian Church, and was Minister at 

 Ballina, Richmond River, Young, and Gladesville near 

 Sydney. In 1916 he was transferred to Wycheproof in 

 Victoria. He wrote chiefly on ferns and mosses, and his 

 papers are mainly to be found in the Proceedings of the 

 Linnean and Royal Societies of New South Wales, He was 

 coadjutor with Mr. Thomas Whitelegge in a Catalogue of 



