548 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



that been the case, he should himself have taken a very different view 

 from that which he actually entertained ; but so far as they knew, there 

 was no lady who desired to take part in the work of the Society. The 

 resolution embodied in the amendment had been put forward on entirely 

 abstract grounds, and that to his mind was a fatal weakness. He re- 

 pudiated the suggestion that the proposal of the Committee was 

 intended to burke the question. They had no such desire — indeed, the 

 Council could not even if it would burke the question, since a sufficient 

 number of Fellows could at any time exercise their power of-bringing it 

 before a Special Meeting. He repeated that the resolution was framed 

 without the least desire to prejudice the discussion of the question, but 

 it was proposed by way of opening the door to an easy solution of the 

 matter, and to avoid causing unnecessary irritation to those who were 

 opposed to the proposal. Considering all that was involved, he did 

 earnestly and seriously hope that the Meeting would pass the resolution 

 he had moved. If, on the other hand, they wished to jettison Fellows 

 whom they regarded as fanatical, the right way to do so was to pass the 

 amendment. 



Mr. Hopkinson said that as six lady Fellows of the Linnean Society 

 had intimated their willingness to join the Society if they were granted 

 full privileges of Fellowship, he thought it could scarcely be said that 

 the Committee had no evidence of the desire of any ladies to take part 

 in the Society's proceedings. The Committee had held seven meetings 

 in the endeavour to agree upon a unanimous report, which was at last 

 found to be impossible. 



Mr. Walters inquired if, in the case of the amendment being lost, it 

 would be in order to move another amendment on the lines he had 

 suggested. 



Mr. Orfeur thought it could not be moved as an amendment, but it 

 might be put forward as a recommendation to the Council. 



Mr. Gordon said that as a matter of fact they had not heard of any 

 ladies who had definitely signified their intention to join the Society if 

 the alteration in the by-laws now proposed by Mr. Heron-Allen was 

 made. 



Mr. Freshwater thought it was not a question of who they were 

 going to bring in by the alteration, but whether the alteration was 

 desirable. He thought it was likely they would gather many from 

 outside if the alteration was made : it was a very important question, 

 which should be voted upon and carried unanimously. 



The amendment was then put to the Meeting by the Chairman, and 

 declared by him to have been carried, 22 Fellows voting in its favour 

 and 7 against. 



On being put to the Meeting as a substantive resolution, 20 voted 

 for it and 5 against, and it was then declared carried. 



Mr. Walters moved that it be a recommendation to the Council that 

 two grades of membership should be formed — Associates and Fellows. 



Mr. Hopkinson said that the admission of Associates into the 

 Society would involve the granting of a new Charter, the cost of which 

 he thought would be prohibitive. 



The Chairman said he regretfully ruled the proposal out of order, 

 the Meeting being a special one called for a definite purpose. 



