INTRODUCTORY REPORT. 
In fulfilment of the purpose expressed in the 
Introductory Report of the Volume of Transactions 
issued last year, the Committee now present to the 
members, Transactions—Volume II., which contains a 
record of the Club’s proceedings during the year 1884. 
Seeing that notice of ten years’ work was comprised 
in Volume I., the matter and arrangement were 
exceptional, as more than half of the book was of 
necessity occupied by mere schedules of names of 
members and events. Volume II. may be considered 
as presenting the normal form, and that in which 
succeeding issues will appear. 
In this book will be found reports of all the 
papers read and excursions made during the year, 
and in accordance with an intimation conveyed in the 
first publication that digests of papers read in previous 
years, might appear in subsequent volumes, there is 
_ added an account of the papers on the Towneley 
Manuscripts purchased by the Club, read December 
4th, 1883. 
During the year the Club has lost 3 members by 
death and 26 by removal from the town, or resignation ; 
but there has been an accession of 29 members, thereby 
maintaining the number of the previous year, namely 
210. 
The average attendance at the ordinary meetings 
during the year has been 34 members, 13 friends, or 
a total of 47, which is the highest average for the five 
years during which statistics of attendance have been 
kept. In the years 1880 and 1881 the average 
attendances were 40 (34 and 6) and 39 (32 and 7) 
