12 The Irish Naturalist. January, 1924. 



November 27.' — The President gave an opening address. 



He dealt with a number of points touching the work of the Club, and 

 declared that the North of Ireland should be proud of its museum 

 connections. County Down gave to Britain the man who laid the 

 foundations of what was probably the finest institution of its kind in 

 the world. He referred to Sir Hans Sloane and the British Museum. 

 Had Belfast been as important a city in Sloan e's day as it was now there 

 was no knowing but that he would have been the pioneer of the museum 

 movement in the North of Ireland. They had to wait a period of some 

 68 years following Sloane's death, however, before any serious effort was 

 made to put before the people of the North the idea which was eventually 

 to lead to the formation of the old Belfast Museum. 



It was in the year 1821 that the first steps were taken, when the 

 Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society was founded by a 

 number of local gentlemen, and such was the energy they had in those 

 days that in 1831 the building in which they were now meeting was 

 erected. The collection made by those stalwarts of past days gave to 

 each a great jo}^ but they lived at a time when a museum was looked 

 upon as simply a store house. They must get away from the idea of 

 a museum being merely a place of curiosities, and look more and more 

 to it as an educational institution. As most of them were aware, there 

 was now in course of erection in the Botanic Gardens Park a building 

 of some magnitude which would in two or three years' time house the 

 collections of natural history, ethnography, and art belonging to the 

 citizens of Belfast. 



Going on to refer to the Club as it is to-day, the President said that 

 notwithstanding the present largely increased membership the number 

 of active workers in the Club has seriously diminished. They still had 

 old members who had done admirable work in the past, and were still 

 doing so, but those of the younger school who were seriously engaged 

 in the systematic study of any one group could be counted almost on 

 one's fingers. In the past men and women worked well and faithfully 

 for the Club and gave their services for the love of the thing^ — Tate, 

 Stewart, Robinson, Patterson Swanston, Wright, Praeger, Lett, Waddell, 

 Grainger, Knowles, and others. They had men and women to-day who 

 were prompted by the same motive, but it had occurred to him that 

 they might commemorate their Diamond Jubilee by having a specially- 

 designed bronze medal made as a means of recognising special merit. 



The President went on to urge a greater keenness in the sectional 

 research and survey work of the Club and a revival of the several sections- — ■ 

 zoological, botanical, geological, and archaeological — which flourished some 

 years ago, and concluded by declaring that he was of the firm belief their 

 old Club had sufficient strength to preen its wings and to continue its 

 flight. 



A discussion was entered into, each of the speakers paying a warm 

 tribute to the President for the constructive policy set forth. 



