414 THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 



JANUARY, 1879, 



W. J. Stephens, Esq., M.A., President, in the Chair. 



The President delivered the following address : — 

 Gentlemen, — The day has now returned when it becomes by 

 custom the duty of the President to lay before the Members of 

 this Society an abstract of our own operations during the past 

 year, of those of kindred associations here or elsewhere in 

 Australia, and of such late discoveries or publications as may 

 appear of special interest to Naturalists in this portion of the 

 Globe. But, as a preliminary, I desire to make use of this 

 opportunity to draw your attention, and that of the public, to 

 the remarkable prosperity of the Society, not indeed, I regret to 

 say, in a financial, but in a scientific point of view. Since 

 the first monthly meeting, held on Monday, January 25, 1875, 

 there have been read more than 150 original papers, or portions 

 of papers, on various subjects, all of v/hich have been printed, 

 with the exception of a few still in hand to complete the third 

 volume of Transactions. And yet, while this activity in writing 

 and publication is not only maintained but increasing, we have to 

 deplore a rapid and serious diminution in the number of our sub- 

 cribers. The reduction of the funds available for printing will 

 require the particular attention of the still faithful members, in 

 order that our deserters may be recovered, or their places filled 

 by new recruits ; as the Society cannot otherwise maintain that 

 practice of early and regular publication which has characterised 

 it hitherto. We have not as yet applied for any assistance from 

 the Government, although it will be, I think, admitted that we 

 have reasonable ground for such an application, in order that our 

 funds available for printing may be supplemented by a small 

 annual grant, in proportion either to the amount of subscriptions, 

 or, which might be preferable, to our actual expenditure upon 

 this object. 



