S40 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



justification of the step. In truth Mr. Crisp had taken the 

 burden upon himself, and relieved the speaker from all trouble. 

 Now that the object had been obtained, Mr. Crisp had, with 

 characteristic generosity, written to say that he has no charges 

 whatever against the Society. He therefore moved that the 

 hearty thanks of the Society be given to Mr. Crisp for his 

 valuable and gratuitous services. This was seconded by Mr. 

 Stainton, and carried unanimously. The Secretary was instructed 

 to communicate the vote to Mr. Crisp, who was not present at the 

 meeting. 



Jonkherr May, while gladly acknowledging Mr. Crisp's kind- 

 ness, thought that it was only Mr. Dunning's modesty which 

 induced him to take this means of diverting attention from his 

 own share in obtaining the Charter. It was to Mr. Dunning 

 also that the Society was indebted, and he moved that 

 the hearty thanks of the Society were due, and should be 

 given to him. Mr. Meldola seconded the motion, and it was 

 carried unanimously. 



Mr. Dunning, in acknowledging the vote, said that when 

 temporarily occupying the chair, some six years ago, he had said, 

 " Incorporation by Royal Charter is not beyond our hopes." It 

 was only a passing thought, and he had little expectation that the 

 hope would so soon be realised. To himself, it was an unmixed 

 pleasure to have been instrumental in obtaining that which alone 

 was wanting to complete the fabric of the Society, and give it 

 that status to which its history of fifty years afforded a claim, the 

 justice of which has now received such graceful recognition. 

 Hitherto we have been only a fortuitous concurrence of atoms ; 

 now we have a legal existence, and are a body corporate, one and 

 indivisible, and, as far as any human thing can be, perpetual. 

 But if our privileges have increased, so also have our responsibi- 

 lities ; and those responsibilities can only be discharged by the 

 united efibrts of the individual members who in the aggregate 

 form the Society. We have to take care that the future of the 

 Society shall be worthy of its past, that by the constant 

 introduction of new blood our body shall never grow old, but 

 shall with ever-renewed vigour march with the times, welcoming 

 and aiding in every advance of Science, and shall for many an age 

 to come unite under one banner the Entomologists of the whole 

 Kealm over which the Granter of our Charter rules. 



