114 
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 
BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICRO¬ 
SCOPICAL SOCIETY. 
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS/ 
BY R. W. CHASE. 
The honour conferred in re-electing me President of this 
Society last year entails the duty of giving a retiring address 
for the second time. I can assure you I deeply felt having 
that important post again placed in my hands, as it assured 
me I still retained vour confidence. 
«/ 
The successful career of a President is largely due to the 
assistance and support rendered by Ins colleagues on com¬ 
mittee ; I, therefore, take this opportunity to most heartily 
thank those members who have from time to time so kindly 
and cordially given me their help, thereby enabling me to 
complete satisfactorily—I hope—my year of office, which is 
one especially to be remembered on account of the meeting of 
the British Association, which passed off with so much eclat. 
The Society is to be congratulated upon the active and 
important part taken by many of its members in the 
proceedings of that meeting, and the deservedly high 
eulogium passed upon their work cannot help encouraging 
members to continue their efforts in the hope of obtaining 
the same or greater results in the future. 
Retrospect. 
The Society during the year has lost by death two of its 
most valued members, and I cannot allow this occasion to 
pass without recording the deep regret felt, not only by my¬ 
self, but by every member of the Society who knew them 
personally. I refer in the first instance to Mr. W. 
Southall, F.L.S., an ex-president, who, by his great abilities, 
his intimate and comprehensive knowledge of botany, his 
never-failing kindness in imparting that knowledge to others, 
his universal courtesy and geniality of manner,endeared himself 
to all his friends ; and it was entirely owing to failing health 
that this Society of late years had not benefited on more 
occasions from his varied attainments. It is with difficulty 
that such a gap in any Society can be refilled ; men of 
William Southall’s character are rarely met with. The 
second loss was that of our honorary secretary, Mr. John 
Morley, F.R.M.S., who for many years past occupied that 
* Transactions of the Birmingham Natural History and Micro¬ 
scopical Society. Read March 29tli, 1387. 
