﻿58 
  

  

  Anniversary 
  Meeting. 
  

  

  [Nov. 
  30, 
  

  

  collect 
  largely 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  many 
  years 
  would 
  be 
  required 
  to 
  

   obtain 
  even 
  a 
  fair 
  representation 
  of 
  its 
  marine 
  products 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  we 
  

   are 
  not 
  prepared 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  scientific 
  objects 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  a 
  

   naturalist's 
  visit 
  to 
  Kerguelens 
  Land 
  are 
  of 
  equal 
  importance 
  to 
  those 
  

   which 
  Rodriguez 
  will 
  yield, 
  we 
  cannot 
  but 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  in 
  every 
  respect 
  

   most 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  rare 
  opportunity 
  of 
  sending 
  a 
  collector 
  to 
  Ker- 
  

   guelen's 
  Land 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  lost." 
  

  

  I 
  may 
  further 
  state 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  great 
  scientific 
  interest, 
  that 
  

   Rodriguez 
  contains 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  gigantic 
  species 
  of 
  land-tortoise 
  

   allied 
  to 
  those 
  still 
  surviving 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  islands 
  of 
  the 
  Mauritian 
  

   group, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  nearest 
  allies 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  gigantic 
  tortoises 
  

   of 
  the 
  Galapagos 
  Islands 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  hemisphere 
  of 
  the 
  globe, 
  as 
  one 
  

   of 
  our 
  Fellows, 
  Dr. 
  Giinther, 
  has 
  shown 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  last 
  Session 
  

   to 
  the 
  Society. 
  Very 
  valuable 
  collections 
  of 
  these 
  fossils 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Newton, 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Mauritius, 
  during 
  a 
  brief 
  stay 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  make 
  in 
  Rodriguez 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  materials 
  are 
  far 
  

   from 
  sufficient 
  for 
  obtaining 
  all 
  the 
  information 
  we 
  want. 
  

  

  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  your 
  Council's 
  recommendation, 
  the 
  Treasury 
  sanc- 
  

   tioned 
  the 
  appointment 
  of 
  four 
  naturalists 
  — 
  three 
  to 
  Rodriguez, 
  and 
  one 
  

   to 
  Kerguelen's 
  Land. 
  Those 
  sent 
  out 
  to 
  Rodriguez 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  Mr. 
  I. 
  B. 
  Balfour, 
  

   son 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Balfour, 
  of 
  Edinburgh, 
  F.R.S., 
  who, 
  besides 
  being 
  educated 
  

   as 
  a 
  botanist, 
  has 
  worked 
  as 
  a 
  field 
  geologist 
  in 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  

   Scotland 
  ; 
  he 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  botanist 
  and 
  geologist 
  ; 
  Mr. 
  

   George 
  Gulliver, 
  son 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  Fellows 
  and 
  a 
  pupil 
  of 
  Professor 
  

   Rolleston, 
  in 
  Oxford, 
  who 
  goes 
  out 
  as 
  naturalist 
  ; 
  and 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  H. 
  Slater, 
  

   who 
  has 
  had 
  great 
  experience 
  as 
  a 
  cave-explorer, 
  and 
  who 
  will 
  devote 
  his 
  

   attention 
  especially 
  to 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  fossils. 
  

  

  The 
  Kerguelen's-Land 
  duties 
  are 
  undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Eaton, 
  

   M.A., 
  a 
  gentleman 
  most 
  favourably 
  known 
  as 
  an 
  entomologist, 
  and 
  who 
  

   had 
  made 
  very 
  important 
  collections 
  in 
  Spitzbergen, 
  which 
  he 
  visited 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  studying 
  its 
  fauna 
  and 
  flora. 
  These 
  gentlemen 
  had, 
  

   by 
  the 
  last 
  accounts, 
  all 
  proceeded 
  to 
  their 
  destinations. 
  

  

  Committee 
  of 
  Papers. 
  — 
  The 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  being 
  represented 
  

   by 
  its 
  publications, 
  the 
  Committee 
  of 
  Papers 
  is 
  the 
  one 
  whose 
  functions 
  

   are 
  unquestionably 
  the 
  highest 
  and 
  most 
  onerous, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   closely 
  scrutinized 
  by 
  the 
  Fellows 
  and 
  the 
  public. 
  

  

  Every 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Council 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  this 
  Committee, 
  which 
  

   meets 
  after 
  almost 
  every 
  Council-meeting 
  ; 
  and 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  duties 
  is 
  at 
  

   present 
  performed 
  by 
  a 
  subcommittee. 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  

   doubtful 
  whether 
  this 
  arrangement, 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  best, 
  can 
  last, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  greatly 
  increased 
  number 
  of 
  papers 
  now 
  communicated 
  and 
  their 
  

   augmenting 
  bulk, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  their 
  contents 
  being 
  less 
  easily 
  

   estimated 
  as 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  scientific 
  research 
  become 
  more 
  specialized. 
  

   As 
  it 
  is, 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  but 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  present 
  can 
  

  

  