328 



would enjoy snch amusements too, without mucli gain to the interests of 

 microscopy. He thought it was hardly generous for a minority of the 

 members to expect the Club to entertain them instead of devoting their 

 funds to the advancement of microscopy. Such entertainments should, he 

 thought, be left for larger and more wealthy societies than theirs. To carry 

 the principle out into private life, what would they think if they saw a 

 clerk with £150 a year giving balls and parties? The result would 

 be clear, and if the Club were to act in the same way they would 

 soon come to an end. They had not held a Soiree for several years, but they 

 had a good reason for it, and the Committee might reasonably object to be 

 called to account in this way not for what they had done but for what they 

 had left undone. 



Mr. Curties enquired if they might take this as being the expression of 

 the Committee, or was it that of an individual member ? 



Dr. Matthews enquired if he might anticipate the Treasm-er's statement 

 by asking what was their present balance in hand ? 

 The Secretary informed him that it was £174. 



Dr. Matthews enquired the estimated cost of issuing the next number of 

 the Journal ? 



The Secretary thought it would be about £40, and that the cost of the 

 Eeport and list of members would probably be about £20. 

 Dr. Matthews asked what was about the cost of a Soiree f 

 The Secretary said that their first Soiree cost £27, and the next three or 

 four from £40 to £60. Then there was a demand for increased accommoda- 

 tion, and for a band, and for extra refreshments for exhibitors, &c., so that 

 the cost was run up to about £84, and he did not think they could under- 

 take to reduce this amount. Though it seemed large, he should think 

 from what he heard of the expenses incurred by other societies that they 

 were lucky to get it done for this. The expenses were looked into by 

 the Committee, and they did not see how they could be cut down. 



Dr. Matthews said he was not questioning the economy of the matter, but 

 he was anxious to get at the amounts, because it appeared to him that 

 when they took away £80 for a Soiree and £40 for Journal, as well as some- 

 thing more for the Report, it would leave them a very small balance indeed, 

 and the prudence of this did not commend itself to him. He did not think 

 that Soirees were of any use in advancing science, though no doubt they 

 promoted social intercourse, and in that respect they had now a very 

 excellent substitute in the extra meeting held for exhibition of objects, and 

 which he thought was greatly to be preferred to a thing called a Soiree, 

 which cost so much and was worth so little. 



Mr. Curties said that it must be remembered that they had now 

 arrived at the end of their financial year, and that they had this money 

 now in hand. They were about to get in their subscriptions, and any 

 future expenditure would of course come out of future income ; this, he 

 thought, disposed of the question raised by Dr. INlatthews. As regarded 

 the general question, he was in possession of the facts and figures, and 

 as the subject had been gone into by Mr. Hailes, perhaps he had better 



