II.— STATEMENT OF PROCEEDINGS. 



The number of Members composing the Society in its Fourth Session, which 

 has now been completed, has been 141 ; and the List of Papers and Lectures 

 which have been delivered is as follows : — 



In Literature : — " On Shakspere as the Poet of Nature," by Mr Richard 

 Chalmers; "On Shakspere as the Poet of Imagination," by Mr James B. 

 Stephens ; " The Women of Shakspere," by the Rev. R. Herbert Story ; " The 

 Moral Meanings of Dramatic Poetrj'," by Mr Edward Caird, B.A., Oxon ; 

 «' Readings from the Works of Dickens,' ' by Mr George W. Baynham. 



In Science : — "On Combustion," by Dr Wm. Wallace; " On the Physical 

 Geographj' of the Ocean," by Professor Honrj- D. Rogers : " On the Gyroscope," 

 by the Rev. Alexander Brj'son, Paisley, (the experimental illustrations by 

 Mr Dundas Porteous) ; " On the Geological liistory of the Highland and Low- 

 land Scenery of Scotland," by Mr Arcliibald Geikie, F R.S., F.G.S. ; " On Some 

 Facts in the Science of Heat developed since the Time of Watt," by Dr James 

 P. Joule, F.R.S. ; " On the Elements of Geology," a Course of Six Lectures, by 

 Mr Thomas Struthers. 



In Art : — " On Churches and Churchyards," by the Rev. Charles F. Reid ; 

 " Remarks on Landscape Art, with special reference to the Painting of Vegeta- 

 tion," by Mr John Stewart. 



It is the agreeable duty of the Committee to refer more especially, with 

 cordial thanks, to those gentlemen, not members of the Society, who have 

 obligingly contributed papers during the past session. 



Our honorary member, Mr Geikie, a few months ago, presented to the 

 Society a copy of the Geological Map of the British Isles, (1864), of which he is 

 the author. 



Since the last Report three names have been added to the list of our Honorary 

 Members. In a paper on "Dramatic Poetry," read in December last, by Mr 

 Edward Caird — one of the number — the Society had an opportunity of appre- 

 ciating those exquisite powers of analysis and of refined feeling which have 

 already made our accomplished fellow-townsman a scholar of distinction. The 

 other two gentlemen are Mr James B. Stephens and Mr David Hill, each of 

 whom, as a member of the Society, rendered unusual service in carrying on the 

 work of several sessions. Few provincial associations have had to acknowledge 

 a series of literary papers of greater power and beauty than those contributed 

 to this Society by Mr Stephens, whose generous and important assistance, nevf r 

 withheld when asked, must always command our gratitude. And there is no 

 one who has been at any time connected with the Society, to whose energy and 

 practical knowledge, constantly made available, the members are more indebted 

 than they are to Mr Hill. Besides being for two years one of the most active 

 members of Committee, he was the author of two able Chemical papers, both of 

 them very elaborately illustrated. 



By the death of Dr. W. J. MacLoskey, which creates a vacancy in the Com- 

 mittee, we have been deprived of one of the most zealous and obliging members 

 of the Society ; and we are impressively reminded by this allusion, that, of the 

 five local medical gentlemen whose untimely fate will long ovei'shadow the 

 memorj' of the jiast winter, no fewer than four, namely, Dr. MacLoskey, Dr. 

 Paton, Dr. Conway, and Dr. Lochhead, had been joined with us in the good 

 work of aiding the progress of tliis Association. 



