iv Appendix. 



or two-thirds more matter, and so give each individual member a higher 

 return for his or her subscription than at present, while the Society 

 would more thoroughly fulfil one of its most useful and permanently 

 valuable functions. An inspection of the list of members will show 

 that the Club is surely, although perhaps somewhat slowly, making its 

 way among the inhabitants of parts of Essex remote from the head- 

 quarters. All well-wishers of the Society will desire to see this class of 

 members largely increased. The Club should have representatives in 

 every parish in the county, and remembering the very small subscription 

 asked from members living outside the radius of 15 miles from head- 

 quarters, it is manifest that such members will eventually receive even 

 more than a fair equivalent in the shape of publications for their expen- 

 diture. 



A deputation, consisting of the President and Treasurer, and Mr. John 

 Spiller, waited upon Mr. Parkes, the Chairman of the Great Eastern 

 Eailway Company in July last, when the latter very kindly granted the 

 important concession as to fares payable by members attending the 

 meetings, which has been taken advantage of on many occasions, and 

 which cannot fail to be of great utility both to the Society and to the 

 members. The best thanks of the Society are due to the Directors for 

 their kindness, and to Mr. J. Robertson, Superintendent of the line, for 

 his many courtesies in connection therewith. 



Three parts of the ' Transactions ' have been published during the year, 

 comprising (with the reprinted rules and list of members) 188 pages of 

 letterpress, and six plates, one being coloured. The Council early saw 

 the necessity of the ' Transactions ' being sent out by an exi^erienced 

 printer, and the two parts produced by Messrs. West, Newman, & Co. 

 leave little to be desired as regards appearance and general accuracy. 

 The desire of the Editor has been to give full and faithful records of the 

 popular as well as of the scientific work of the Society, — how far this 

 desire has been fulfilled it is for our critics to decide. As intimated in 

 the account of the Grays Meeting, the Society is indebted to our President 

 and to our members Messrs. J. SpiUer and G. C. Harcourt for the 

 autotype plate accompanying that report, and the special thanks of the 

 Council and members are due to our honorary member, Major-General 

 Pitt-Rivers, for his generous donation of £12 to defray cost of the chromo- 

 lithographed plate of the objects found in the rampart of Ambresbury 

 Banks. 



The attendances at the meetings have been good, in spite of unfavour- 

 able weather on several occasions. Twelve ordinary meetings have been 

 held during the year, at which 420 members have been present, gi%ing 

 an average of 35, with 102 visitors. Six field meetings were organised, 

 224 members having attended, or an average of 37, about 130 visitors 

 having also been present. Three field meetings were held in conjunction 

 with other Societies — the Geologists' Association, the Hertfordshire Natural 

 History Society, and with the subscribers to the Essex and Chelmsford 



