286 
Proceedings of the Boyal Society 
only in Scotland, but in England and Ireland. This list will 
be exceedingly instructive, as I understand it specifies the ob¬ 
jects of each Society or Club, the nature of its operations, and the 
district of country with which it is connected. He has had the 
kindness to send to me an account of twelve of these provincial 
societies, the most northern being in Orkney and Shetland, the 
most southern in Berwickshire, Dumfries, and Galloway. About 
one-half of these societies publish proceedings or reports in some 
form or other, for circulation among their own members. To one 
of these last-mentioned provincial societies, connected with the 
Eastern Borders of England and Scotland, “ The Berwickshire 
Naturalists’ Club,” Sir Walter Elliot and I belong. It has a 
membership of 250 persons, and has published six octavo volumes 
of reports on topics—Botanical, Geological, Zoological, Entomo¬ 
logical, and Archeeological. 
Though it is chiefly the Edinburgh societies which keep mem¬ 
bers from our Boyal Society Boll, and papers from our Transac¬ 
tions, there can be no doubt that the societies of other towns, and 
of the provinces, act more or less in the same direction. But in 
saying this of any of these separate societies, I mean no disparage¬ 
ment of them ; nor, in spite of their interference with our useful¬ 
ness and influence, do I regret their multiplication. On the prin¬ 
ciple of the division of labour, the more societies the better, for 
the sake of the stimulus they give to scientific investigations. 
The late Principal Forbes, in his address from this chair in the 
year 1862, in alluding to the effect which these societies had on 
us, thought that they “ fostered (to use his own words) a spirit of 
rivalry towards the larger, more national, and more permanent 
Institution, which the Boyal Societ}^ of Edinburgh might fairly 
claim to be.” I have never seen indications of a spirit of rivalry, 
in the sense of hostility. All the length I can go is to admit— 
as, indeed, I affirm—that the existence of so many separate scien¬ 
tific societies in Scotland has the effect of curtailing our member¬ 
ship and our operations, and that this effect will increase unless 
means be devised to counteract it. 
I think such means may be devised, and with advantage, not 
only to our own and other societies, but to the cause of science. 
There are many researches and inquiries which can be pro- 
