Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 9 Supplement.djvu/39



New Member.—Dr. R. Martin.

1876.—President—R. Gillies; Vice-presidents—J. S. Webb, H. Skey; Council—W. N. Blair, C.E., A. Bathgate, Professor Coughtrey, M.D., J. McKerrow, G. M. Thomson, J. T. Thomson, F.R.G.S., P. Thomson; Auditor—A. D. Lubecki; Hon. Secretary and Treasurer—F. W. Hutton, F.G.S.

The retiring President read his

My first duty this evening is to tender my thanks to those of my fellow-members who, by their contributions of papers to our proceedings and by their animated discussion of the subjects of many of those papers, have made it proper for me to say that the session of the Institute during which it has been my privilege to preside over our meetings, has been more interesting and more important than any that has preceded it. The time of weakness and struggle is, I think, now past for the Otago Institute; and those who joined with me in its origination will readily understand the feeling of something like exultation which I have experienced whilst watching the course of the past session.

I see that it is becoming a custom with the Presidents of kindred Societies in New Zealand to use the opportunity of their retiring addresses for a review of the work of the preceding year. I shall gladly fall into this fashion, since other engagements disable me