185 
advantage of disappointing you at the outset in thus, I must 
say, unfortunately being obliged to occupy his place ; and the 
disadvantage besides of knowing that I can only further dis- 
appoint you, in the event, from not being able to speak with 
his knowledge and his wisdom and his words. I can only 
plead, in extenuation of undertaking such a task, that I do so 
not from choice but as a duty. I therefore crave your most 
kind indulgence ; and I think I may count upon it when I 
explain, that I address you this evening solely that you may 
not be disappointed of hearing Mr. Mitchell at our next ordi- 
nary meeting on the 3rd of June for he found that to under- 
take to deliver the Annual Address would so materially inter- 
fere with the completion of his Memoir on the Isomorphism of 
Crystalline Bodies, that he could not hope to be able to read 
it this session, unless he were relieved from the preparation of 
the Address. Under these circumstances, I venture to trust 
that you will not only pardon my throwing myself into the 
breach to fill the place, however unworthily, of our Vice-Presi- 
dent, but that you will therefore also accord to me your most 
favourable consideration. And let me add further, that there 
is this compensating advantage in our Vice-President being- 
silent on the present occasion: he could not have spoken of 
himself as I have done, nor told you how much our success 
last year has been specially due to his many-sided qualifications 
for presiding . over our deliberations, and to his constant and 
hearty assiduity as our Chairman. Besides you must not sup- 
pose that the preparation of the present Address can compare 
m difficulty with the Inaugural Address last year. We had 
then no past existence as a society ; our future, though full of 
hope, was then uncertain ; our work had to be well begun in 
order to succeed, and you know how well begun it was in that 
admirable Address. But now we have the work of last year 
to took back upon and review; and our existence is not only 
a .act, out our success has been most signal. 
I purpose therefore, chiefly to occupy your attention with 
a retrospective summary of the principal subjects we have 
already discussed in the Victoria Institute. Our first brief 
session, consisting of four evening meetings in June and July 
FW IF? , comm ? GCed b 7 a paper, giying A Sketch of the 
' lbt }ng Relations between Scripture and Science , by Mr 
vnrTonfn 0 V T^° J m im P artial manner, detailed the 
name been Ur S ed in our da ^ m the 
Sc f ncG / a ? aiGst the credibility of the Scriptures. I 
y confess that what I may call the seyere impartiality 
