( xxxlx ) 



THE PEESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



Gentlement, 



I am again placed in the position of being able to 

 congratulate the Society upon its satisfactory position both 

 numerically and financially. You have heard the report of 

 the Council which shews that we elected 2 Honorary and 27 

 new Ordinary Fellows in 1900 and that we lost by death 

 and resignation about 1 1 Fellows, leaving us now with 438 

 Fellows, which is a record number. Financially we commenced 

 the year (after deducting liabilities) with a balance in hand of 

 £181 16s. Sd. (of which £63 was for four Life Compositions), 

 besides which we possessed about £21 of good arrears, and at 

 the commencement of this new year we possess £160 16s. lid., 

 and we have net assets £1050 lis. 9c/., which is also a record 

 in our history. But although both numerically and financially 

 the Society has touched its highest mark, I have not the 

 slightest doubt but that it can still be made both sounder 

 and stronger. 



I had scarcely delivered my remarks last January upon 

 the older Fellows of the Society when news arrived of the 

 death of our last surviving original Member, Mr. William 

 Blundell Spenee, and we are therefore now cut oH: from 

 our Founders, but the fact that Mr. Spenee Avas for sixty- 

 eight years a Member or Fellow of this Society is one that 

 1 think will for a very long time constitute a " Record." 



Our Meetings have perhaps not been quite so well attended 

 as could be desired, and each second Meeting in one month 

 seems to reduce the amount of interest. The Council did last 

 year shift one two-meeting month from February to October, 

 which may possibly improve matters. There also seems to 

 have been a lack of attendance at our INIeetings on the part 



