1892.] Address. 33 



whose loss we have to deplore. As Major St. John, Director of the Anglo- 

 Persian Telegraph in 1869-71, he made an extensive collection of zoological 

 specimens chiefly belonging to the Vertebrata, mid at the same time kept 

 copious notes of the Fauna. He subsequently contributed largely to the 

 collection brought together by Mr. W. T. Blanford, f. r. S., who accom- 

 panied him on the Persian Boundary Commission in 1872. These 

 collections formed the materials for Blanford's work on the Zoology of Per- 

 sia (Eastern Persia, vol. II), in the preparation of which Major St. John's 

 notes on the Fauna proved of essential service. To the account of the 

 journeys of the Commission (Eastern Persia, vol. I) Major St. John 

 contributed a brief but valuable sketch of the physical geography of 

 Persia, together with an interesting itinerary, in every page of which the 

 ardent naturalist is apparent. 



The financial position of the Society, which at one time gave cause 

 for apprehension, is now approaching a very 

 Finance. satisfactory state. The Society is more than 



Rs. 3,000 better off at the beginning of the current year than it was at 

 the beginning of 1891 ; the balance in favour of the Society, including 

 the invested securities, having advanced from Rs. 1,37,612 to Rs. 1,40,750, 

 which is higher than it has been at any time since 1887. The report 

 supplies full details of the manner in which this improvement has been 

 effected. Our receipts have been better and our expenditure has been 

 less than in the previous year, the savings having been chiefly effected 

 under the heads of establishment and printing. I should add that 

 only a trifling amount of unpaid bills remains outstanding. 



During the course of the year the Council proposed that a portion 

 of the Society's invested funds should be transferred from Government 

 Securities, then at a high premium, to Calcutta Municipal Debentures 

 yielding a better rate of interest. The proposal was accepted by the 

 Society, but in endeavouring to carry it out it was found that Muni- 

 cipal Debentures were very firmly held and rarely came into the 

 market. No change in the investment has therefore been made. 



The Oriental Publication Fund shows similar improvement, the 

 Council having found it advisable to take somewhat vigorous measures 

 during the course of the year to reduce the expenditure from this Fund, 

 which was found to be on a scale considerably exceeding its normal 

 income. 



Now, therefore, that the period of financial difficulty which once 

 threatened both the Society and the Oriental Publication Fund seems 

 to be over, a brief reference may be made to the causes of these tem- 

 porary difficulties, and the heads of expenditure which have shown the 

 greatest fluctuations may be compared. Without taking into account 



