LIXNEA^' SOCIEXi' OF LONDON. 17 



efficiency, and reorganised aci-ordingly : it has, I think, been more 

 fortunate than some of them in attaining its object. An ahiiost 

 incredible amount of work has had to be done for the purpose oi 

 rendering more accessible the books and collections of the Society, 

 to the great convenience of Fellows making use of them. More- 

 over, it has been of considerable advantage to the transaction 

 of the business of the Society to have secured the regular attend- 

 ance of a responsible officer who is also a member of Council and 

 is therefore in a position to act with authority. 



The scientific work of the Society has shown increasing activity ; 

 the supply of interesting and important papers calling for publi- 

 cation having been such as to tax our financial resources to the 

 utmost. In addition to the ordinary publications, the Society 

 is issuing (with the assistance of a graut from the Royal Society) 

 the concluding parts of Messrs. Forbes and Hemsley's " Enu- 

 meration of Chinese Plants,'* forming "Vol. 36 of our Botanical 

 Journal : the completion of this important work, which has been 

 so long delaj'ed, is a matter of congratulation to all concerned. 



Daring the latter half of the Session the Society has most 

 unfortunately been depi'ived of the valuable services of its 

 Zoological Secretary, Professor Howes, who has been compelled 

 by ill-health to give up work for a time, I know that I am only 

 echoing the sentiments of all present today, when I express the 

 sympathy which I feel for him, and the hope that he may soon 

 be restored to his former health and usefulness. In Professor 

 liowes's absence, the other officers of the Society have done their 

 best to carry on his work, and in this the}" have been most 

 kindly assisted by some of the Fellows. 



I take this opportunity of formally announcing that the 

 Linnean Medal this year has been awarded by the Council to 

 Dr. M. C. Cooke, who has been an Associate of the Society for 

 over twenty -five years, and is so well known as a high authority in 

 the department of Mycology. 



There must always be an element of sadness in our Anniversary 

 Meetings, for it is then that we are reminded of the losses that 

 the Society has sustained. This year the hand of death has 

 fallen but lightly upon us, and yet we have much to regret. In 

 Dr. Prior we have lost a Fellow of more than fifty years' 

 standing, whose name will always be associated with this period 

 of British Botany. He sliowed his unabated interest, in the 

 welfare of the Society by a bequest of ,£100. He has fortunately 

 left behind him an autobiographical sketch which reveals how 

 active and interesting a life his was. Other old Fellows who 

 have gone from us are Sir Charles Shelley, the Rev. T. Wiltshire, 

 who was so long the Secretary of the Ray Society, and William 

 Bull, so well known as a horticulturist : of more recent date were 

 Charles P. Hobkirk, the eminent bryologist, and Charles Maries, 

 the successful plant-collector. 



Until a short time ago, I had hoped that I might be able 

 to announce at this meeting that all our Foreign Members 



LIKN. SOC. PROCEEDINGS. — SESSION 1902-1903. C 



