6 



Your Council feel sorry that these excellent lectures were neither so 

 ■well attended by the general public, nor the members and associates of 

 the Society, as the interest of the subjects and the eminence of the 

 lecturers demanded. They are convinced that were a greater number 

 of our memljers to take an active interest in bringing this branch of the 

 Society's work under the notice of others, there would be far less likeli- 

 hood of a deficit (as heretofore) in our public lecture account. 



Your Council would point out that in particular the working classes 

 have as yet shown little interest in these lectures. It has been urged 

 over and again that this is due to the comparatively high charges of 

 admission necessitated by the heavy exjienses incurred in bringing 

 eminent men and really good lecturers from a distance. To overcome 

 to some extent this difficulty, and open up a way to interest the masses 

 in scientific subjects, your Council have of late been endeavouring to 

 secure for Dundee the benefits of the Gilchrist Educational Trust. 

 The Trustees of this Fiind apply yearly the interest of a large sum of 

 money to encourage and establish courses of popular science lectiu'es in 

 our large towns, by supj^lying able lecturers, or giving substantial aid in 

 payment of lecture expenses, on the sole condition that 800 seats be 

 provided at Id. each. Your Council were advised to arrange for the 

 co-operation of several other towns in our district, so that a joint appli- 

 cation could be made for the delivery of the same course of lectures in 

 these places during the same journey, and thus reduce expense. In 

 this matter Lecture Committees or Societies similar to our own, 

 in Aberdeen, Brechin, Kirkcaldy, and Perth, at once united with the 

 Council. The arrangements, however, are only now in progress, and 

 the furtherance of this most desirable object they leave in the hands of 

 their successors, with some hopes of a favourable conclusion.* 



In view of the great expense involved in previous conversaziones and 

 scientific exhibitions held in the Kiunaird Hall, your present Council 

 were at first afraid that notliing could be done in this direction during 

 their term of office. Thanks, however, to the kindly and weU-directed 

 efforts of Mr John Kennedy, the late Mr David Jobson (in whose un- 

 timely death by the falling of the Tay Bridge the Society has to deplore 

 the loss of an active and intelligent member), and Mr John Maclauchlan, 



* Since the above Report was read, a letter, of which the followina; is an important 

 extract, has been received from Dr W. B. Carpenter, F.E.S. : — "I regret to have to 

 inform you that, at a recent meeting of the Gilchrist Trustees, they found themselves 

 precluded by the state of their finances (which have most seriously suffered by the 

 Scottish banking crisis of 1878-9) from making any grants for lectures during the 

 ensuing session." — F.W. Y. 



