TJie Presidenfs Address. 
President, had come to hand too late ; and that the election 
must stand good. I regret to say that my apprehensions with 
regard to the state of my health have been more than realised ; 
for, without a single exception, from the time of the soiree, 
which was held in this room in April of the past year, I 
have been prevented, by illness, from attending any of the 
meetings. 
Knowing, as you all do, the part taken by me in assisting 
to establish this Society in the outset, and that I have per- 
formed the duties of Secretary for a period of nineteen years, 
during many of which I was unassisted, my declining so 
honorable a post as that of President must, at first sight, 
have given rise to the idea that either my views as to the 
usefulness of the Society had changed, or that my occupa- 
tions, being numerous, would not allow me time for micro- 
scopical investigation, nor for the transaction of any business 
connected with the Society ; but when I state the truth, viz., 
that I have been physically incapable of performing these 
duties, I feel sure that no further apology will be needed, 
more especially as I endeavoured in every way to prevent my 
appointment, having, on more than one occasion, previously 
refused it on the same grounds. I can only add, that should 
it please the Almighty Disposer of events that my health 
should be restored, I shall hope to be able, at some future 
time, to show you that a long period of unavoidable absence 
has in no way diminished my love for this Society, nor the 
zeal and energy with which I once assisted in carrying on its 
affairs. 
Since the Anniversary, which was held on the 8th of 
February in the past year, there have been nine meetings of 
the Society; and, in addition to the subjects which have 
been brought forward orally, no less than thirteen papers 
have been read ; and of these, four relate to the Diatomacea3, 
a subject which, perhaps, more than any other, has, from 
the earliest days of the invention of the Achromatic Micro- 
scope, occupied the time and attention of the most persevering 
and painstaking portion of our Microscopic community; 
a certain number occupying themselves with the nature 
of the markings on the surfaces of the valves, whilst others 
are engaged in classifying and arranging the numerous spe- 
cies which are daily being procured from all parts of the 
habitable globe. We are indebted to Dr. Greviile, Dr. Wal- 
lich, Mr. Norman of Hull, and Mr. Tuff*en West, for these 
papers, all of which have been published in full in the ^ Tran- 
sactions' of the Society, and many of them have been de- 
lineated by the accurate pencil of the last-named gentleman. 
