New members.—J. Adams, B.A., Rev. J. Bates, E. B. Dickson, B.A., S. J. Lambert, F.R.A.S., Rev. C. M. Nelson, M.A., Rev. G. Smales.

The secretary read the list of donations to the library and museum.

The chairman delivered the following anniversary

Address.

The unavoidable absence of our highly-honoured President, which must be a subject of regret to us all, is specially so to me, upon whom has devolved the task of opening this year's session at a notice far too short to enable me to prepare an address worthy of the occasion. Besides, it has always been a favourite view of mine, which I have repeatedly propounded from this chair, that our great object should be not to be only natural history collectors, but that our Institute ought to be a centre where men can meet to exchange their thoughts on every scientific subject, and that we should use every endeavour to make our meetings interesting and popular. Nothing could be more conducive to success in this object than to meet under the presidency of a gentleman of the professional and social standing of him who has kindly undertaken the duty this year—one whose large mental accomplishments are rendered more effective by a happy command of classical and expressive language, and are adorned by a flowing courtesy doubly graceful in the position he occupies.

Our programme is so extensive that there is more than room for workers of every class amongst us; for the man of general reading, as well as for the botanist or geologist. The laborious collectors, carefully investigating and recording facts, must always hold the first place of honour with us, for their work is useful, not only to us, but to the whole world of science; but plenty of scope remains for those who have no special study. In a colony like this there can be little room or opportunity for the master workman, capable, by a life of study, of combining into the grander generalizations of science the innumerable facts now streaming in from keen-eyed observers in all parts of the world. Such investigators are all but impossible, except at or near the great centres of population and in the midst of the highest appliances. No