Report of the Forty-Sixth Annual General Meeting. 347 



of the Charter which definitely laid down that the name of the Institute for all time 

 should be the Koyal Colonial Institute, 



The Chairman : The terms of the resolution will be made to cover the point. It 

 is only by the King's permission we can change our name. It cannot be done to-day 

 of course. 



Mr. Alexander Finn : Considering that a very large number of persons do not 

 regard with favour the proposed alteration in the title of this Institute I beg to move 

 as an amendment : — 



" That this meeting considers any change to be unnecessary and that we regret 

 that the time chosen for the suggestion should have syncronised with the appearance 

 of a review under a somewhat similar name edited by a member of our Council." 



Mr. R. G. Webster, seconding the amendment, said they had heard a great deal 

 about the feeling of Canada. He was not a Canadian, but had travelled there on four 

 occasions, and had never known a Canadian who entertained the feeling Dr. Vrooman 

 had about the word Colonial. Did any Canadian describe himself as a Britisher ? 

 Was not that a somewhat sarcastic term used by the Americans ? To him the word 

 Britannic had a rather Brummagum ring in it. The word Colonial seemed to him 

 very well to describe the Institute. If they were to change their name, why not take 

 the second name on the Journal and call the Institute the Royal United Empire 

 Institute ? 



Captain Slack, supporting the amendment, pointed out that the 500 answers given 

 in the referendum represented only about one-tenth of the then membership of the 

 Institute. This proposal had all been brought about apparently by the members 

 residing in Buenos Ayres. In his opinion there was no better way of making the 

 Institute laiown and influential than by promoting in every possible way the circulation 

 of the Journal. 



Mr. H. S. GuLLETT also supported the amendment. 



Mr. A. Hudson, K.C, reminded the meeting that one of the oldest clubs in London 

 was known as the Cocoa Tree Club. How would the members of that club hke it if 

 the Committee suddenly proposed to change the name to Malt House Club, on the 

 ground that the majority of the members nowadays drank whisky and soda ? Again, 

 nobody had ever heard that the Colonial Office was setting about changing its name. 

 A long and glorious reputation lay behind the name of the Colonial Institute. It 

 had a ])leasant and silvery sound to the ear, whereas the new name had rather the sound 

 of the tapping of a pewter jug. He listened to Dr. Vrooman's speech, a speech of 

 great eloquence, but he thought Dr. Vrooman attached too much importance to the 

 idea that the designation of an institution was supposed exactly to indicate all its objects. 

 The fittest name of all, perhaps, would be the Imperial Institute, but that title was 

 already annexed. Much trouble had been taken of late years to increase the know- 

 ledge of the Institute. If it were suddenly to blossom out as the Royal Britannic 

 Institute he prophesied a great falling oS in the membership. 



In answer to a question the Chairman ruled that the amendment was a direct 

 negative, and that the only question before the meeting was the resolution. 



