1 8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



generosity, the still less inconsiderable expense that it has 

 involved. 



In order that the Supplemental Charter may become operative 

 with as little delay as possible, the Council has been engaged for 

 some time past in preparing a revision of the Bye-laws. This will 

 be submitted in due course to the Fellows for approval ; and when 

 that formality has been completed, the new order of things will 

 have been officially inaugurated. 



As it may reasonably be expected that when the Supplemental 

 Charter is in operation there will be an appreciable increase in the 

 average number of Fellows, it will be reassuring to know that, 

 should this prove to be the case, the requisite accommodation will be 

 forthcoming. The Society has now at its disposal for this purpose 

 some of the rooms on the upper floor, formerly occupied by the 

 Assistant-Secretary ; and quite recently an official intimation has 

 been received to the effect that the rooms in this building at present 

 used by the Post Office will shortly be handed over to us. Not 

 only has our accommodation been increased, but something has been 

 done during the past year in improving what we already possess. 

 Important structural repairs and alterations have been carried out 

 by the Office of Works, and advantage has been taken of this 

 opportunity to redecorate the hall and the staircase, as well as 

 some of the rooms on the upper floor, at a cost to the Society that, 

 thanks to the liberality of the Office of "Works, has been little more 

 than nominal. However, a great deal remains to be accomplished in 

 this direction. The adaptation to our requirements of the rooms 

 to be vacated by the Post Office demands immediate attention ; 

 only slightly less pressing is the need for the redecoration of the 

 Library and of the Council -room. 



The mention of these matters inevitably suggests the question 

 of ways and means. Without intruding into his department, 

 I may venture to say that the Treasurer's statement con- 

 clusively shows that the expenditure involved cannot be borne 

 by the present income of the Society, which is hardly sufficient to 

 meet the normal demands upon it. The Treasurer is, I believe, 

 so sanguine as to hope that such an accession of new Fellows may 

 result from the operation of the Supplemental Charter as to 

 substantially increase the revenue of the Society. If that be one 

 of the fortunate results of our new departure, the financial 

 difficulty will be surmounted : otherwise the extraordinary expen- 

 diture that I have foreshadowed will have to be met either out of 

 our slowly but surely diminishing capital funds, or, as on more than 

 one previous occasion, by a special appeal to the generosity of the 

 Fellows. 



I think I am justified in expressing the opinion that the 

 efficiency of the Society, in all its various departments, has been 

 fully maintained. From the report of the General Secretary you 

 will have gathered that the Societ}' has fairly held its own in point 

 of numbers. The Eeport of the Librarian will haye assured you 

 that that most important department has not been neglected. Nor 



