No. 3.] NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 181 



that, owing to several causes, your finances are not in such a pros- 

 perous state as formerly. The yearly receipts from members' 

 fees have much fallen off, and the Government having delayed 

 the payment of the annual grant, retrenchment has been forced 

 OD your Society, and they have been obliged to do away with 

 the services of Mr. Caulfield, and reduce the allowance to Mr. 

 Passmore to the amount sivcn him when first eno-aoed. 



The Council have also to report that several urgent repairs 

 have been made to the building, and that much yet remains 

 to be done to put it in a thorough state of repair; and re- 

 commend to the incoming Council to have the roof put in order. 

 These improvements have enabled your Council to provide 

 accommodation for several kindred Societies. The aquarium 

 room has been done away with, and its space filled with shelves 

 and cases — and this has made room for placing specimens which 

 were lying in boxes on your premises. 



Your Council would recommend the desirability of getting a 

 members' register, which is much needed, and to see that ail 

 members receive regularly the Naturalist from the publisher, as 

 several complaints on this matter have been made during the 

 past year; and also that revision of the exchange list be carefully 

 made. 



The usual and regular Sommerville Lectures have been given 

 to the number of six, 



1. On the various forms of Musical Composition as determined 



by the great masters, their beauties, uses and abuses. 

 By Fred. E. Lucy Barnes, Esq., R.A.M. 



2. On our Great West as a home for the Emigrant. By Prof. 



Robert Bell, M.D. 



3. On the Haida Indians of the Queen Charlotte Islands. By 



George M. Dawson, Esq., D. Sc, F.G.S. 



4. On the Physiology of Digestion. By Dr. F. W. Campbell, 



L.R.C.P. 



5. On Canada at the International Exhibition at Paris. By 



William Hamilton Merritt, Esq., A.R.S.M. 



(5. On the Physiology of Respiration. By Dr. Vineberg. 



A 7th was announced to be given by Dr. Hunt, but was not 

 delivered owins: to his illness. 



