The intention of the President to resign office, through removal from Liverpool, having been previously made known, the following

VALEDICTORY ADDRESS

OF

ROBERT M'ANDREW, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S.

was then read :

GENTLEMEN OF THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,—On retiring from the office of President, in fulfilment of my intention expressed at our last meeting, I feel called upon to address a few words to you, believing such a course to be not without precedent. I therefore trust you will excuse me occupying a few minutes of your time before proceeding to the routine business of the evening.

In the first place, I have to express to you my sincere thanks for the honour of having been allowed to occupy the presidential chair. When it was announced at the commencement of last session that the election had fallen upon me, I could not but express my regret at the circumstance; not from insensibility to the honour conferred upon me, but under a deep sense of my inability to discharge, in a manner satisfactory to myself, the duties which it entailed; or adequately to represent this important Society among the literary and scientific institutions of this and other countries. I cannot but appreciate such a proof of the good opinion and kind feeling of the Society towards me; and indeed, in my opinion, there was no honour within the power of my fellow-townsmen to bestow upon me, which I so highly esteemed, as that of presidency of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool.

It is my pleasing duty to congratulate you upon the present position and future prospects of the Society, which may be said to have entered upon a new phase of its existence. Now, for the first time since commencing the publication of its transactions, does our income cover our expenditure; and, so far from the apprehensions being realised of those who anticipated an important secession from the Society, in consequence of the increased rate of subscription, the number of members is actually as great as at any previous period of its history; and I think it may be added, that at no past time could our list of members show a larger proportion of names of individuals taking an active interest in the promotion of science and literature; also, that any loss which might accrue to the interest of our meetings through the retirement of those few members who have notified their resignation during the past year, is compensated by the greater degree of harmony which their absence has occasioned. It is, in my opinion, even a matter of congratulation that the terms upon which we were willing to

be incorporated with a body more numerous than our own were not acceded to; and I do trust, that in future, no proposal will be listened to for the admission of any collective body within our ranks otherwise than by individual ballot, in conformity with the law regulating the election of members.

Those questions affecting its constitution, and even its separate existence, which have agitated the Society during the few years antecedent to the present, being definitely set at rest, it is hoped that the undivided attention of the members will be now concentrated upon carrying out the objects for which the Society was originally called into existence, viz., the cultivation of literature and philosophy, and the advancement of these blessings of civilisation in our town and neighbourhood. Among the considerations which, in my opinion, should deter us from entertaining any project for an amalgamation with another Society (should such be again brought forward) at a future period, I take leave to mention that it has never been the policy or practice of this Society to canvass for members, or to solicit patronage, and that the appointment to its most honourable offices should be considered due to those who have laboured most for the promotion of its objects and interest. It is not by courting popularity, or devising measures for keeping the Society continually before the public eye, or by flattering the vanity of its members, that the permanent success or real interests of the Society can be promoted; but by pursuing steadily, unostentatiously, and with singleness of purpose, the worthy and important objects set before us, we may hope that the Society will gather strength gradually," occulto velut arbor ævo," will extend the sphere of its influence, and become a not unworthy coadjutor of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and other combinations for promoting the great cause of human progress.

It has been said that "Liverpool has done but little for science, though science has done much for Liverpool," and it is to be feared, notwithstanding the high scientific reputation achieved by a few of our townsmen, that too much ground has existed for the imputation. Our town offers but few inducements for the man of leisure to take up his residence among us; we have as yet no university to furnish in its staff of professors a centre and rallying point to those inclined to intellectual pursuits; while the wealthier classes, though not so blind to their direct interest as not to encourage the researches of a Compass Committee, have been too much absorbed in the turmoil of business to devote any considerable portion of their time to the encouragement or cultivation of abstract science, or anything not promising to contribute directly to success in their money-seeking pursuits. I am happy to think, however, that this cause of reproach, if it is not already removed,

will soon have ceased to exist; and although we can hardly expect our town to attain so high a reputation for science and learning as it has acquired for all that pertains to navigation and commerce, we may yet hope to see it, even in the former, second only to the metropolis and university cities of the British empire. There are several cheering indications which justify this hope. We owe it to the enlightened energy of our Corporation that Liverpool has been among the first to follow the example set by a neighbouring borough in the establishment of a Free Public Library, which, in conjunction with the Natural History collections bequeathed by the late Earl of Derby, and the promised Free Public Museum, cannot fail to have a most beneficial influence upon the habits and pursuits of the humble classes of the community, while it affords facilities for prosecuting the researches of the more learned. A museum of applied science in connexion with the Royal Institution is being formed, mainly through the agency of one of the most active members of this Society, backed by liberal contributions from various quarters. It is the desire of all parties that this Museum should be freely open to the public, and there is perhaps no kind of scientific collection more calculated to engage the interest of the populace at large, or to convey to it a greater amount of useful instruction. That the public is not disposed to neglect the advantages offered to it, we have evidence in the annual reports of the Library and Museum Committee, and also in the gratifying fact that on the occasion of the public holiday to celebrate the restoration of peace, no fewer than seven thousand well-conducted people visited the collections of the Royal Institution.

Among the objects still to be desired, and which I do not despair of one day seeing accomplished, may be mentioned the making of arrangements by which the interesting collections of the Royal Institution may be rendered gratuitously accessible to the public at all convenient seasons; also that the Botanic Garden, and the Town Museum (when we get it), may be placed under scientific management. In expressing this desire, I wish to make no imputation upon the Town Council of Liverpool, and it is neither to be expected nor desired, that in selecting a candidate for election to a body entrusted with the municipal government of this great town, and the administration of the vast revenues, a proficiency in the sciences of botany or zoology should be considered an important qualification. Be this as it may, it is unfortunately a fact too notorious to botanists that the Botanical Garden of Liverpool, formerly amongst the most important in the country, has for many years been quite useless as a scientific institution.

Having concluded the few remarks which I felt called upon to offer,

it only remains to me to apologise for having occupied even so much of your time; and we will now proceed to the especial business of the evening, commencing with the election of president.

The Society then proceeded to elect a new President, when Dr. THOMAS INMAN was elected; subsequently the other Office-bearers and Council were chosen, viz.:-Council for the Forty-sixth Session: THOMAS INMAN, M.D., President; W. IHNE, Ph.D., Rev. H. H. HIGGINS, M.A., and T. C. ARCHER, Vice-Presidents; ISAAC BYERLEY, M.R.C.S.E., F.L.S., Treasurer; D. P. THOMSON, M.D., Hon. Secretary; ALFRED HIGGINSON, M.R.C.S.E.; J. B. EDWARDS, Ph.D., F.C.S.; Rev. A. RAMSAY, M.A.; EDWARD BRETHERTON, F.G.S.; RICHARD BROOKE, F.S.A.; GEO. HAMILTON, F.R.A.S., F.C.S.; JOHN CUNNINGHAM, F.G.S.; JOSEPH C. REDISH; and JAMES T. FOARD.

A resolution was then come to that the paper of the evening shall invariably be begun not later than eight o'clock, it being with the Society to decide whether or not the meeting shall extend beyond 9.30. Dr. Ihne moved a vote of thanks to Mr. M'Andrew, which was carried by acclamation.

AT AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING,

Held upon the 29th October, 1856,

THOMAS INMAN, Esq., M.D., PRESIDENT, in the chair,

The resolution affecting the time of reading the Paper of the Evening was confirmed.

SECOND ORDINARY MEETING,

Held at the ROYAL INSTITUTION, October 29th, 1856,

THOMAS INMAN, Esq., M.D., PRESIDENT, in the chair.

The resignation of Mr. Norman Macleod, through change of residence, was received.

Mr. ALFRED HIGGINSON exhibited a volume of the "Manchester Magazine," a newspaper of date 1742-43, and read various extracts, chiefly in relation to the connexion between Manchester and Liverpool. Also, the "Chronicle of the Queen of Hungary, with the mighty acts of George King of England, at the battle of Dettingen, and King George's Psalm of Thanksgiving for the victory over his and her enemies, written in the manner of the Jewish historians, by Abram Ben Saddi, brother to Nathan the Jew"-no date.

The Rev. JOHN ROBBERDS exhibited an impression of a betrothal seal (ring) of the time of Edward II., found at Bridgewater, in August last. The device consisted of two heads in profile, face to face, with the motto, Je sv sel d'amour lel.

Mr. T. C. ARCHER exhibited a specimen of pottery, made by the Indians on the banks of the Amazon, and which was common in Para. The bark was stripped from a tree, a species of cryso-balanaceous plant, or hog-plum, which was then burned, its ashes mixed with the river mud, and clay thus formed. He also showed a specimen of tea made from coffee leaves, in taste not unlike some of our best congous. The theine was larger in quantity than in tea from Assam or China. He likewise referred to an American diving machine, called the Nautilus, which was constructed on simple but truly scientific principles.

Bessemer's mode of manufacturing iron was made the topic of conversation; after which the following Address was read::

INAUGURAL ADDRESS,

BY THOMAS INMAN, Esq., M.D. LOND., PRESIDENT:GENTLEMEN,-In accepting the office to which your confidence has elected me, my first duty is to express my sense of the honour you have conferred, and my earnest wish to show myself worthy of your suffrages. The selection of an individual for your president is the highest token of esteem it is in your power to bestow; and it is not without a sensation of pride that I find myself in a chair which has previously been occupied by so many distinguished men. Yet there are few gratifications that have not a dash in them of the bitter, and my next impulse, after returning you my thanks, is to frame a sort of apology for that love of science which is commonly prejudicial to all professional men. To the generality of people whose chief occupation is money getting, and whose relaxations are good living, gossip, newspapers, and cards, it seems incredible that any one could feel enjoyment in what to themselves would be nothing but dreary dulness, or a task of mind they feel unequal to grapple with. They imagine a