REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1881. 



[Read at the Second Annual General Meeting, held at 

 Buckhurst Hill, January 28th, 1882.] 



The Council has great jjleasure in announcing the continued and 

 increasing prosperity of the Essex Field Club since its formation in 

 January, 1880. Enthusiastic views as the future of tlie Society were 

 often met by gloomy forebodings as to the difficulties of steering such an 

 association through the the second year of its existence, when the 

 attraction of novelty had perhaps worn off before any real and lasting 

 work had been accomplished, and before the Society had earned its title 

 to respect and to steady and hearty support. It may safely be asserted 

 that the Club has left such dangers well in its wake, or rather that it has 

 never encountered them ; and the rapid increase in its numbers and the 

 intelligent interest taken in its proceedings have been constant and very 

 gratifying experiences during the year 1881. 



Since the last Keport (which gave a summary of the work of the 

 Society up to 31st December, 1880), 102 ordinary members and 5 honorary 

 members have been elected, of whom 3 have compounded for their annual 

 subscriptions ; 14 members have resigned ; 1 has been removed for non- 

 payment of subscription, and the Council records with great regret the 

 loss of two original members by death — Sir Antonio Brady and Mr. 

 Walter Weston. Short obituary notices of these gentlemen will be given 

 by the President in his annual address. 



The census of the Club at the end of the years 1880 and 1881 was 

 therefore as follows : — 



1880. 1881. 



Honorary members 4 9 



Life members 7 10 



Ordinary members 213 295 



224 314 

 Showing a net increase of 1)0 members during the past year. This result 

 may be taken as an index of the rapid rise of the Club in public esteem, 

 and there seems to be no reason for believing that the supply of candi- 

 dates for admission into the Society is exhausted. Satisfactory as the 

 roll now is, the annual income is not enough to publish well-illustrated 

 ' Transactions ' to the full extent desired — an increase of (say) 100 sub- 

 scribers to the funds of the Club would enable the Council to print half 



