MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 
AT THE OPENING OF THE SESSION. 
(Read October 7th, 1880.) 
AuttHouGH the Council has been good enough to relieve me from 
the necessity of delivering the usual inaugural address, I cannot 
allow this evening to pass without expressing my regret that I am 
unable to be with you and to discharge my duty as President. I 
have not been absent from the Athenzum on the first Thursday 
evening in October for many years, and it is no light thing that 
prevents my attending to-night. 
I had pretty well arranged the subject matter of my address, 
but my illness prevented my writing it, and perhaps I may be 
allowed to give very briefly the heads of what I intended saying, 
as I fear that I shall be unable to do anything more than this 
during the session. 
I was desirous, in the first place, of referring to Darwinism, and 
occupying some little time in contrasting the position in which it 
now stands with what was known of it at no very distant period. 
A favourable time for such a review presents itself just now ; for 
it was just twenty-one years ago last week that “The Origin of 
Species” was given to the world. During the period that has 
since elapsed science has made rapid advances, and a considerable 
amount of evidence, either for or against the theory, and bearing 
more or less upon the arguments adduced by the great scientist, 
must necessarily have accumulated. Some of this evidence I 
proposed dealing with. Palzontological discoveries, and embry- 
ological investigations, have not, I think, in any way shaken the 
theory of Darwin, and the twenty-first birthday of his book finds 
its author accumulating facts in support of his great work, which 
almost every discovery tends to strengthen and none to disprove, 
2B 2 
