President's Address. 



13 



society (Wernerian) fail from decline of activity among senior 

 naturalists, and the want of the infusion of young blood to 

 carry on the scientific circulation. 



Our own Society, the Physical, has had its times of pros- 

 perity and adversity, but it has survived all shocks, and its 

 success seems to be owing, in a great measure, to the well-as- 

 sorted co-operation of senior and junior members. The zeal 

 and enthusiasm of the young naturalist has imparted anima- 

 tion to all ; while rash theorising or hasty generalizations have 

 been curbed by the prudent councils of such veterans as Flem- 

 ing. There is a wholesome balance, which enables the Society 

 to exhibit its vitality in well directed efforts for the advance- 

 ment of true science. 



The Society does not confine itself to the mere reading of 

 papers and communications, but encourages active practical 

 operations among its members. Its Committees for dredging, 

 and for the prosecution of geology and of entomology, are well- 

 fitted to bring out the zeal of its Fellows, and to initiate the 

 junior votaries of science in the details of field work. Such a 

 system is calculated to secure the permanence of the Society, 

 and to produce valuable results. Mere reading will never 

 make a man a naturalist. He must touch and handle the 

 ipsissima corpora, and must observe the phenomena as pre- 

 sented to his senses by nature itself. Researches conducted 

 under the auspices of those who have already in some mea- 

 sure mastered a science are of the highest value to the tyro. 



If we wish the Society to go on prosperously, we should 

 encourage young men to enter while they are studying here. 

 We may thus hope to raise up naturalists who will do good 

 service in after life, and who, when they visit different quarters 

 of the globe in future years, may be expected to contribute 

 papers to the Society, which may be published in our Pro- 

 ceedings. 



On looking over the Records of the Society's Proceedings for 

 last session, I find that Zoology has occupied the most pro- 

 minent place. We have had a series of most valuable ori- 

 ginal papers on British Zoophytes, by Dr T. Strethill Wright, 

 one of the best observers of the present day. We have also 

 enlisted in our service one who devotes himself now entirely 



