The President's Address. By A. D. Michael. 
13 
was towards the end of this presidency that there appeared in our 
Transactions the first of that long and admirable series of papers on 
the Diatomaceae, by Dr. Eobert Greville of Edinburgh, which do 
so much credit to the author and to our Transactions. He was a man 
of many activities, and I can well remember him in his latter years, 
polished and courtly in manner, a leader in Edinburgh society, and in 
the charitable and religious societies of that city he was enabled to 
obtain material for his search after diatoms from the missionaries in 
most wild parts of the world. He wrote on ferns in conjunction with 
Hooker, and on sea-weeds alone ; he was a good and eager entomo- 
logist in almost all orders, an excellent landscape painter in oils, and 
probably the beauty of his scientific illustrations has not ever been 
exceeded. Lastly, he was a remarkable pedestrian, and on one occasion 
walked 300 miles in a week. 
In February 1860, John Quekett’s failing health compelled him to 
resign the secretaryship, and G. E. Blenkins, who remained a member 
of the Society until his death a few months ago, and M. J. Legg were 
appointed joint secretaries. Quekett was elected President without his 
knowledge, a letter from him asking to be excused on account of his 
health having arrived too late. But his election was a mere com- 
pliment ; he was too ill to occupy the chair, and he never did so. At 
his request he was not re-elected, but during his year the number of 
members of the Society for the first time exceeded 300. 
Quekett died in August 1861, and there was a sale of his scientific 
effects, amongst which was a large and interesting Microscope by the 
celebrated Benjamin Martin, supposed to be of the date of 1770, and 
to have been made for George III., which is described in a paper by 
Williams in our Transactions in 1862. The Secretary of the Society 
was authorized to bid for this instrument up to 21/., and the Library 
Committee to buy books at the same sale to the extent of 20/., but it 
was thought that the Society could not afford this expenditure, and it 
was resolved to raise it by a private subscription, which should be 
extended so as to raise a fund, the interest of which should be devoted 
to providing a medal, to be called the “ Quekett Medal,” and given 
from time to time to those members of the Society who had best pro- 
moted microscopical science ; afterwards it was decided not to confine 
it to members. The fund was raised, and in 1863 a committee was 
appointed to consider what steps should be taken with regard to 
striking the medal, and it was decided that the medal should be annual. 
In January 1864, Dr. Carpenter suggested that the medal should be 
given for the best cheap Microscope. Finally, advertisements were 
issued inviting competition in four classes of cheap Microscopes, the 
lowest to be a simple Microscope, and the lowest compound three 
guineas and the highest ten guineas. None of the three principal 
makers competed, and nothing sent in for the simple class was con- 
sidered worthy of the medal. Eighteen instruments were sent in in 
the other classes to the rooms of the Astronomical Society, where the 
