PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 
137 
With regard to the bequest of the late Sir William Macleay of 
£12,000 for the founding of a Chair or Lectureship in Bacteriology 
at the University of Sydney, or (failing the acceptance of the 
bequest by the University) for providing the salary of a bacterio- 
logist to the Linnean Society of New South Wales and equipping 
a laboratory, the Senate accepted the bequest upon the terms and 
conditions mentioned in the will and memorandum. The Senate, 
however, of the University considering the fourth clause of the 
will rather stringent approached the Council of the Linnean 
Society with a view to obtaining a c.y j?res modification of this 
fourth clause. The fourth section of the memorandum provided 
that — " It shall be necessary for every student before being 
admitted to a Science or Medical degree at the University to 
attend a six months' course of bacteriology." The reply of the 
Council of the Linnean Societ}^ to the letter of the Senate was to 
the general effect that it declined to be a party to any scheme for 
modifying the late Sir William Macleay's will. The Senate then 
carried the matter into the Court of Equity, making the Linnean 
Society defendants. 
As only a resume has appeared in the newspapers, and the 
matter is one in which the Society is interested, I think it right 
that the full text of the decision of Mr. Justice Owen, Chief 
Judge in Equity, should be placed on record in the Society's 
Proceedings. It is as follows : — 
Judgment of His Honour the Chief Judge in Equity. 
In The Supreme Court of New South Wales, 
in equity. 
Between The University of Sydney, 
Plaintiff, and Her Majesty's 
Attorney General for New South 
Wales and the Linnean Society of 
New South Wales, Defendants. 
"This is a suit to obtain the declaration of the Court as to the 
construction of the will of the late Sir William Macleay. 
