638 
PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 
On June 12th, 1895, a similar meeting was held by the New 
York Board of Trade and Transportation, and after discussion of 
the larger aspects of the subject the following resolutions were 
unanimously adopted : — 
Whereas, The welfare and the commercial interests of the entire country 
are closely related to the preservation and proper management of the 
public forests. 
Besolced, That as a first step to a permanent and scientific forest policy, we 
heartily favour the creation by Congress of a National Forest Com- 
mission with the following objects : — 
1. To study the public timber lands, reserves and parks, on the ground. 
2. To ascertain their condition and extent. 
3. To ascertain their relation to the public welfare and to existing local 
needs of the people as regards agricultural and the supply of wood for 
mining, transportation and other purposes. 
4. To ascertain what portions of the public timber lands should remain as 
such in view of the agricultural, mining, lumbering and other interests 
of the people. 
5. To prepare a plan for the general management of the public timber 
lands in accordance with the principles of forestry. 
6. To recommend the necessary legislation ; and 
Resolved, That the Special Committee on Forestry be directed to communi- 
cate with other commercial bodies and with Congress in furtherance 
of concerted action on this important question at the next session." 
The study of the fossil remains of plant life of past ages in this 
country has of late years received some attention. Professor 
Ettingshausen, of Graz, has had the lion's share in this work, and 
as he has expressed views as to the origin of the vegetation of 
Australia, and of the rest of the world, which appear to be 
entirely erroneous, and as they appear to be tacitly accepted by 
Professor Tate in his Inaugural Address to the Adelaide meeting 
of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, 
I desire to say some words on the subject, in the hope that some 
of our New South Wales Botanists and Palaeontologists may take 
the matter up and corroborate or disprove the deductions which, 
in my opinion, can be made. 
