﻿1874.] 
  

  

  President's 
  Address. 
  

  

  59 
  

  

  judge 
  of 
  the 
  merits 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  papers 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  easy 
  after 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   tracted 
  Council-meeting, 
  and 
  one 
  occupied 
  with 
  promiscuous 
  business, 
  to 
  

   fix 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  Committee 
  upon 
  subjects 
  with 
  which 
  but 
  few 
  

   members 
  present 
  may 
  be 
  familiar. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  Committee 
  is 
  aided 
  

   in 
  all 
  cases 
  by 
  the 
  written 
  opinions 
  of 
  careful 
  and 
  impartial 
  referees, 
  and 
  

   by 
  the 
  special 
  attainments 
  of 
  our 
  Secretaries, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  desi- 
  

   rable 
  that 
  the 
  sometimes 
  divergent 
  opinions 
  of 
  these 
  should 
  be 
  weighed 
  

   by 
  others 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  experts 
  in 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  the 
  papers. 
  But 
  for 
  all 
  

   this 
  a 
  Committee 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  Council 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  I 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  disposed 
  to 
  advocate 
  a 
  return 
  to 
  a 
  system 
  once 
  pursued 
  of 
  

   resolving 
  the 
  Committee 
  into 
  subcommittees 
  charged 
  with 
  special- 
  sub- 
  

   jects, 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  possible 
  that 
  some 
  other 
  plan 
  may 
  meet 
  the 
  difficulties 
  

   of 
  the 
  case 
  and 
  relieve 
  our 
  overburthened 
  Council 
  of 
  much 
  labour. 
  A 
  

   possible 
  plan 
  for 
  relieving 
  both 
  the 
  Council 
  and 
  the 
  Committee, 
  while 
  

   securing 
  as 
  careful 
  a 
  scrutiny 
  of 
  the 
  Papers 
  as 
  we 
  now 
  have, 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  

   division 
  of 
  the 
  labours 
  of 
  the 
  Committee, 
  and 
  an 
  addition 
  of 
  extra 
  members 
  

   to 
  its 
  number, 
  chosen 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  Fellows, 
  who 
  should 
  continue 
  

   in 
  office 
  throughout 
  the 
  Session. 
  This, 
  or 
  some 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  kind, 
  would 
  

   have 
  the 
  advantage 
  of 
  engaging 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  Fellows 
  than 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  

   the 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  so 
  responsible 
  a 
  position 
  

   as 
  that 
  of 
  Extra 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  Committee 
  of 
  Papers 
  would 
  be 
  accepted 
  

   with 
  pride 
  by 
  those 
  Fellows 
  who 
  are 
  most 
  competent 
  to 
  discharge 
  the 
  duties. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  convenient 
  to 
  refer 
  here 
  to 
  suggestions 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   to 
  me 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  expediency 
  of 
  breaking 
  up 
  our 
  Transactions 
  or 
  Proceedings, 
  

   or 
  both, 
  into 
  sections 
  devoted 
  to 
  Physics 
  and 
  Biology 
  respectively, 
  or 
  even 
  

   subdividing 
  them 
  still 
  more. 
  This 
  separation 
  has 
  been 
  advocated 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  that 
  science 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  specialized 
  that 
  no 
  scientific 
  man 
  can 
  

   grasp 
  all 
  its 
  subdivisions, 
  that 
  the 
  mixed 
  publications 
  are 
  cumbersome 
  

   and 
  difficult 
  to 
  consult, 
  and 
  that 
  private 
  libraries 
  are 
  now 
  overburthened 
  

   with 
  the 
  publications 
  of 
  Societies, 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  would 
  

   suffice 
  for 
  all 
  their 
  possessors' 
  wants. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  question 
  that 
  this, 
  if 
  

   now 
  an 
  evil, 
  will 
  soon 
  become 
  intolerable 
  ; 
  for 
  our 
  publications 
  increase 
  

   rapidly 
  in 
  number 
  of 
  contributions, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  bulk. 
  There 
  are, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  so 
  many 
  considerations 
  to 
  be 
  discussed 
  before 
  any 
  system 
  of 
  relief 
  

   can 
  be 
  adopted, 
  that 
  I 
  confine 
  myself 
  to 
  stating 
  the 
  subject 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   urged 
  upon 
  me. 
  

  

  The 
  Society's 
  Library 
  now 
  comprehends 
  36,270 
  volumes 
  and 
  10,000 
  

   tracts, 
  the 
  most 
  considerable 
  collection 
  of 
  scientific 
  works 
  in 
  the 
  pos- 
  

   session 
  of 
  any 
  private 
  body 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  respect 
  of 
  Transactions 
  and 
  Pro- 
  

   ceedings 
  of 
  Scientific 
  Academies, 
  Societies, 
  and 
  Institutions, 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  is 
  

   unrivalled 
  among 
  public 
  bodies. 
  

  

  A 
  complete 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Scientific 
  Books, 
  MSS., 
  and 
  Letters, 
  

   which 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  say 
  is 
  unaccompanied 
  by 
  any 
  historical 
  or 
  other 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  regarding 
  the 
  Library, 
  was 
  printed 
  in 
  1839. 
  Another 
  Catalogue 
  

  

  