20 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
provement in the first place, and the charm of a periodical, a fort- 
nightly meeting with like-minded persons (seldom perhaps met 
with in the interval), counteracted the tendency to criticise, and the 
intolerance of hearing something read not immediately or directly 
interesting to the hearer. 
Were I to enumerate the names of that large band of our 
fellow-citizens, our professors, our distinguished lawyers, our 
country gentlemen and mere amateurs, who, meeting after meet- 
ing, used to occupy almost the same individual places on these 
benches, so that their loss or absence could in- a moment have 
been noticed — I should recall to many, even now present, the dif- 
ferent phase, in this respect, which the society of Edinburgh pre- 
sented then from now. Let me first name, almost at hazard, a few 
of those whose images live in my memory as I now address you, as 
among those who as a rule attended, and as a rare exception were 
absent : There was the ever animated, zealous, and punctual presi- 
dent, Sir Thomas Brisbane ; the polite and decorous Dr Hope ; 
the indefatigable, unassuming Lord Greenock ; the sagacious Dr 
Abercrombie ; the lively, unresting Sir George Mackenzie ; the 
hospitable Professor Eussell (whose academic suppers are not 
even now forgotten) ; the beneficent, large-minded Dr Alison ; the 
kindly, genial Professor Wallace, close to whom usually sat Mr 
James Jardine, with his finely chiselled features and intellectual 
forehead, the accurate Mr Adie, and the conscientious, modest as- 
tronomer, Mr Henderson : there was also the ingenious Sir John 
Kobison, fertile in expedients ; the frank and manly Dr Graham ; 
the quietly humorous and ornithological Mr James Wilson ; the 
encyclopcedic Dr Traill ; and the shrewd and well read, but re- 
served Mr W. A. Cadell. Besides, there were many others who, if 
they rarely took an active part in the business of the Society, were 
not the less persevering in their attendance, — thus giving evidence 
of an interest in its welfare and permanence, which any exigency, 
or even opportunity, would have called in action : there were Sir 
Henry Jardine and Lord Meadowbank; Dr Bmnton and Dr Neill, 
occupying probably the same bench with Mr E. Stevenson and Mi- 
Bald; Mr John Craig, Sir William Newbigging, Professor J. S. 
More, Mr William Wood, Archdeacon Williams, Mr George Swin- 
ton, Sir Joseph Straton, Dr Borthwick, and Mr Stark. I could far 
