PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. i 



ance in the elucidation of plant mysteries. It is those 

 who have given attention to, or who have been in some 

 way associated with the work of the organic chemist as 

 applied to our most interesting Australian flora, who can 

 best appreciate the wonderful properties and scientific 

 interest as well as economic value of our native plant-life: 

 and now that a Chair of Organic Chemistry has been 

 established at our University, under the charge of Professor 

 Robinson, we may hopefully look forward to a further 

 extension of our knowledge in this direction, as the possi- 

 bilties of the profitable utilisation of the wonderful vege- 

 tation of Australia seem to be unlimited. 



Chair of Economics, — A Chair of Economics has also 

 been established, with Professor Irvine in control, and this 

 step may be regarded as further evidence of progress. 



The establishment of four new Professorial Chairs at the 

 Sydney University is a matter for sincere congratulation 

 by all scientific people. It should be impossible for any 

 thinking person to watch the rapid development of our 

 splendid country, with its vast resources and increasing 

 wealth, without at the same time trying to make some 

 comparison between its great educational and scientific 

 institutions and those of other countries. The contempla- 

 tion of our possibilities in the above connection, should 

 fire Australians with an ambition to take a prominent place 

 in the world of science, and with our mental, physical and 

 resourceful equipment there should be no reason why we 

 should not succeed in doing so. We look to our Universities 

 to train young scientists for research work, and in our 

 aspiration to advance science, we hail with the utmost 

 satisfaction any enlargement of the scope of the University 

 which tends to furnish the State with an increased number 

 of specially trained scientists. 



