8 



part, and tliough the great merit of both fully 

 justified the preference which the Council gave to 

 them, amongst the many similar Courses that were 

 offered to their notice, yet the event has proved 

 very far from favourable to the interests of the 

 Society. The Council would by no means have 

 ventured upon this remark, had they merely had 

 to regret the loss of nearly the whole Honorarium 

 in both instances. For however heavily this may 

 press upon the funds of the Society, yet had it 

 been in their power to report that the Lectures 

 were delivered to large classes of Members, who 

 of course are entitled to free admission, they would 

 have considered that the purpose for which those 

 funds were contributed had been abundantly an- 

 swered, namely, the diflftision of scientific know- 

 ledge. Such, however, was by no means the case ; 

 the attendance upon both was to the last degree 

 scanty and discouraging. 



The following Papers have been read at the 

 Ordinary General Meetings of the Society. 



1. On Synonyms — by the Rev. R. W. Hamilton — (read October 

 23rd, 1829.) 



2. On the Varieties of Water — by Mr. Wm. West — (read 



Nov. 6th, 1829.) 



3. On the Advantages of Civilization to Mankind, and on the 



Possibility of promoting it by simple and direct Methods 

 ^by Luke Howard, Esq. F.R.S.— (read Nov. 20th, 1829.) 



