32 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR 

 THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31st, 1900. 



[Rend and Adopted at tlic zist Annual Mcctinti, March loth. igoi.] 

 The year 1900 will be memorable in the annals of the Club. Not only did 

 it complete twenty-one years of work, but it also witnessed the realization of 

 the vision of a permanent County Museum of Natural History, which from the 

 beginning has been an ideal of the Club, and which was first put into the 

 practicable shape of a resolution at a meeting held at Mr. E. N. Buxton's 

 house on December 8th, 1883, seventeen years ago. Within the year were 

 also completed the extensive repairs and restorations of Queen Elizabeth's 

 Lodge, thus affording a most suitable home for the Epping Forest Museum. 



Finance. — The Statement of Account for the past year reveals the sound 

 policy pursued by the Council of the Club, in steadily reducing the debit 

 balance on the General Account, which, from over £100 in 1896, has sunk to 

 a few shillings at the present time.' The other accounts are also in a healthy 

 condition, that relating to Special Memoirs and Publications alone showing a 

 deficit ; and against this may be set the value of the stock, for which a steady, 

 though not a rapid sale may be predicted. The Forest Museum will demand 

 the best energies of the members of the Club in the immediate future, the 

 balance in hand being entirely out of proportion with the needs created by 

 the necessary re-organisation. 



Membership. — The list of members issued in the autumn, corrected up 

 to Dec. 31st, shows a total of two hundred and eighty-eight, made up as 

 follows ; — Life Members, 29 ; Annual Members, 241 ; Exempt Members, 4 ; 

 Honorary Members, 14. Of these twenty-two were elected during the year ; 

 the losses, from various causes, totalled twenty-six. 



By death the Club lost four distinguished Honorary Members ; two Life 

 Members (Mr. Leaf and Mr. Ramsden) ; and six annual members. Thirteen 

 members resigned, and one was amoved. Every effort should be made to fill 

 up the vacancies at an early date. 



Meetings. — Thirteen meetings were held within the year, including that 

 in connection with the opening of the Central Museum, and a meeting in 

 futherance of the objects of the Epping Forest Museum. As in former years, 

 the Council have pleasure in acknowledging the services of those gentlemen 

 v/ho so kindly aided in the conduct of the meetings. At the meeting at the 

 College ot Surgeons on January 27th, Prof. Charles Stewart, F.R.S., gave one 

 of his charming demonstrations of the contents of that magnificent Museum ; 

 at the meeting on February 14th, Mr. Lovett gave a demonstration lecture on 

 Crustacea ; on March 31st, Mr. S. Salmon conducted a meeting for the 

 observation of the Mosses of Epping Forest ; and on May 19th, Mr. G. 

 Massee, F.L.S., acted in a similar capacity with regard to the minute Fungi. 

 At the meeting on July 9th, Mr. Turner kindly acted as botanical guide in 

 the Witham and Tiptree district ; at this meeting the members were most 



I In the report of the Council lor iSgg the printers inserted in error the Statement of 

 Account lor igoo instea<l of that for i8gg (see last volume, pp. 306-7). The latter is novs- insert- 

 ed to make the series complete. 



