1875.] President 9 s Address. 81 



species to genera, and of these to orders, is very much smaller than in 

 continental areas. Thirty-three species, belonging to as many genera, 

 are peculiar to the island, and two of them belong to new genera. 



It is a very remarkable fact that one of these new genera, belonging 

 to the Natural Order Turneracese, is most closely allied to a peculiar 

 Panama genus ; and that one of the new species has only a single 

 congener, which is a Pacific island plant. There are three Palms, all of 

 them peculiar, and two Screw-pines (Pandani). Dr. Balfour remarks the 

 extraordinary number of plants whose leaves vary in form at different 

 ages. For other matter, much of it very curious, I must refer to the 

 three Reports, which will in due time be published, with sufficient illus- 

 trations. 



Mr. Eaton's valuable Eeport on the Natural History of Kerguelen's 

 Land having been already before you, and printed in our ' Proceedings/ 

 requires no further mention here. 



There remains to state that your Council has found reason to express 

 satisfaction with the Eeports and Collections of all the Naturalists ; that 

 complete catalogues of the specimens procured will appear in our pub- 

 lications ; that the detailed descriptions and observations will also be 

 published, either by the Naturalists themselves or by competent persons ; 

 that the specimens will be distributed after a complete set has been 

 reserved for our National Collections; and that the total expenditure 

 amounts to .£1512, of which .£1396 was contributed by Her Majesty's 

 Government, while the rest has been defrayed out of the Donation 

 Fund. 



The Total Solar Eclipse of April 1875. — Towards the close of last year 

 the desirability of observing the total eclipse of the Sun, which was to 

 take place in India, engaged the attention of your Council ; and the 

 subject was under its consideration when a letter was received by me 

 from His Majesty the King of Siam, offering hospitality and assistance 

 should the Royal Society deem it expedient to appoint scientific men to 

 observe it from His Majesty's dominions. 



Your Council being of opinion that both the importance of the occasion 

 (totality during this eclipse being of longer duration than during any other 

 that would be observed in the present century) and the liberal offer of 

 His Majesty required careful consideration, appointed a committee of five 

 astronomers and the Society's Officers to report upon the feasibility of 

 undertaking such an expedition with a reasonable prospect of success. 

 The Committee was advised that no time was to be lost in arriving at 

 a conclusion, as only four months would elapse before the occurrence 

 of the eclipse. 



The first step taken was to communicate with the First Lord of the 

 Treasury and the Secretary of State for India, and ascertain whether, 



VOL. xxiv. G 



