Xv1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
tian clergyman ought to do, that that religion is an imperfect 
one which stops short of exhibiting the great Object of our wor- 
ship as the beneficent Creator of all that is pure and beautiful 
around us. His own love and enjoyment of nature was intense, and 
his benevolence was such that he could not be satisfied without 
enabling others, and especially the poor and children, to enjoy the 
same pleasure with him. There was, too, a remarkable unity and 
consistency, and, if I may so speak, a keeping in his character 
which is very rare. “The elements were so mixed in him,” that 
whilst there was no excessive preponderance of any one quality 
at the expense of others, so there seemed to be no deficiency in 
any of those qualities which deserve and ensure universal respect 
and love, and which are essential to the completeness of the 
manly and Christian character. 
I need not detain you by any detail of our scientific proceedings 
during the past year, as they are already, or will shortly be in your _ 
hands. It is sufficient for me to appeal to our publications and to 
your experience of the character of our meetings, to show that 
neither in regard to the scientific value of the papers read, nor to 
the interest of our conversational discussions, has there been any 
falling off from the progress which we have for a long time been 
enabled to record ; and I believe that the Society has never evinced 
a more sound and healthy vitality than at the present time. 
With regard to our financial position, which is so important an 
element in our prosperity, it is peculiarly gratifying to me to state 
that we have never been in a more satisfactory condition. At the 
last Anniversary, I mentioned that the last item of our bonded 
debt had just been paid off, but that payment had occurred too late 
to be included in the yearly account. It is therefore only in the 
Auditors’ Report of the present year, that we have been able 
to announce our absolute immunity from the incubus of debt ; 
whilst the balance in our hands is su considerable, that the Council 
has determined upon adding to the funded capital by the purchase 
of £200 in the Consolidated Fund. This is the first instance in 
which any sum has been funded by us, irrespective of legacies or 
other adventitious aid; and when this fact is considered in con- 
junction with the paying off of the only remaining item of our 
bonded debt, to which I have alluded, I cannot but heartily con- 
eratulate you upon so auspicious a fact, because there appears 
every probability that, in future years, the whole of the sums re- 
ceived in composition for annual payments may be similarly in- 
