294 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
who was bom in December 1781. While individuals pass away, 
age brings no decrepitude, but rather the reverse, to universities and 
scientific bodies. For, owing to the growth of population and 
national wealth around them, there is a constantly increasing class 
of persons demanding the higher branches of education, and with 
leisure for scientific pursuits. It might, however, be the case that 
a Society like this, while flourishing in numbers, might fall into the 
condition of the army of Xerxes, of which it was said that there 
were ttoXXol ykv o-tpcltlwtcu, 7ravpoL Se avSpe s — “ numerous troops, 
but few real men among them.” This, however, can by no means 
be now said of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The past session 
has exhibited an amount of vitality and productive energy which 
does great credit to the Fellows, and, I may add, to the Secretaries, 
to whose assiduity and tact the flourishing condition of the Society 
is greatly due. I believe that few previous sessions on our records 
show a better tale of work done than the session which we are now 
concluding. During its course no less than seventy-three papers 
have been furnished, upon the most varied topics, almost entirely 
by Fellows or Honorary Fellows of the Society. The series was 
opened by the noble President with a literary address, recalling to 
notice some once famous, but now nearly forgotten, works ; and 
then followed seventy-two papers, of which 17 are Mathematical; 
20 Physical; 12 on departments of Natural History; 10 Chemical; 
3 on Astronomy; 1 Mineralogy; 1 Geology; 1 Anatomy; 1 Metero- 
logy; 6 Logic, &c. To appreciate the matter and contents of all 
these various papers would require the many-sided intellect and 
universal accomplishment of a Humboldt. And even Alexander 
von Humboldt, could he have come to life again and attended our 
meetings, would have heard things not dreamed of in his philo- 
sophy — so progressive is science. I venture to offer no further 
word beyond congratulating you on the amount of work done 
during the session. In a week or two we shall be all disj3ersed — 
some to foreign lands, some in the country, or among the mountains, 
or by the sea. I doubt not that the Fellows of this Society, 
wherever they are, will find the truth of the often-quoted sentence : 
“ Hsec studia delectant domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant 
nobiscum, peregrinantur, rusticantur.” And I trust that your 
hundredth session may reap the fruit of new ideas which shall have 
uggested themselves during the ensuing recess. 
