1899.] Annual Address. 19 



three preceding years (1895-97) ; but, on ttie other hand, it is Rs. 6,019 

 bettet' than the average closing balance of the seven years ( 1888-94) 

 before that. So that when it is boine in mind that our expenditure for 

 the past year includes the extraordinary item of Rs. 5,829-8-6 for 

 repairing the damage done to the building by the earthquake of 1897, 

 it will be apparent that the present state of our finances is not so bud 

 as was at one time supposed I am of course aware that the introduc- 

 tion of natural calamities, such as eartliquakes and cyclones, in the 

 familiar role of lodging-house cat is, as a financial expedient, 

 neither novel nor convincing. But there is no mistake about the 

 earthquake. It did damage in the way of bi'icks and mortar to 

 the extent of nearly Rs. 6,000, and one of the bricks went throuj^h 

 our best picture, credibly attributed to George Morland. It lias cost 

 money to repair the building and to mend that and other pictures 

 also damaged. But on the whole we need not despair of our finances. 

 One comfort is that if we do not wilfully shut our eyes we always 

 know how we stand. We have that first requisite, an excellent method 

 of accounts, which we owe to no less a person than Sir James Westland, 

 who years ago when he was recasting the accounts of the Empire, found 

 time to devise for this Society a system skilfully adapted to our special 

 needs, which as the Secretary and Treasurer know, are in many respects 

 peculiar and complicated owing to the number of ear-marked funds with 

 ■which we deal. 



The discussion that took place on our financial position at the last 

 Annual Meeting has however served one most useful purpose. It has 

 drawn attention to the necessity of treating a Budget provision with 

 proper respect — a necessity which a scientific idealist is perhaps at times 

 apt to overlook. The Council have stopped that leak at any rate, by 

 ruling that no paper is to be printed without specific sanction given 

 on a regular estimate of its cost. They have also obtained from the 

 Soriety's printers a substantial reduction in the scale of charges for 

 printing and making up our publications. Owing however to the more 

 punctual payment of bills and to the fact that arrears of previous years 

 had to be cleared off, the Council were unable to keep within the 

 Budget allotments for the Proceedings and Journal. I hope matters are 

 now on such a footing that this will not recur, and that we shall be 

 able in future to administer our funds in such a manner that our activity 

 in publication may not have to be restricted. A scientific society 

 which does not publish a respectable number of papers has, as Matthew- 

 Arnold said of somebody's translation of Homer, no proper reason for 

 existing. 



I now turn to the work of the year. 



