GREENOCK PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



the lecture was postponed from 22nd January till 5th February, 

 owing to Mr. Preece's absence on the former date in Malta, where 

 he was engaged in his official capacity. The Committee do not 

 propose to print the lecture, as this is being done by Mr. Preece, who 

 has placed the Society under further obligation to him by kindly 

 offering to supply copies for distribution among the Members. As 

 on former occasions, a number of representatives from the various 

 engineering establishments in the neighbourhood were present, on 

 the invitation of the Committee. 



The Committee desires to express its indebtedness to Mr. 

 George Dunlop, who kindly gave his services at the lantern through- 

 out the Session. It is also gratifying to note that, while one of the 

 Lecturers expressed his thanks to Mr. Dunlop publicly, many others 

 did so privately in the Committee-room at the close of the lecture. 



In view of the lectures provided by the Y.M.C.A. in the Town 

 Hall, the Committee did not deem it advisable to have a public 

 course this Session, but a proposal has been made to the Gilchrist 

 Trustees, with the view of bringing the Lecturers of that Trust to 

 Greenock next winter. The balance at credit of the Science Lecture 

 Fund is ^91 13s. 2d., being practically the same as last year. 



Before the commencement of the Session, the Committee com- 

 pleted provisional arrangements for the delivery of an afternoon and 

 an evening Course of Lectures on subjects in English Literature ; 

 but on issuing post-cards to large numbers throughout the town likely 

 to be interested in such lectures, the response was so meagre that it 

 was decided to abandon them for the present. 



At the meeting held on 28th December, 1896, in terms of the 

 constitution of the Society, the Annual Re])ort of the Committee of 

 the Museum and Hall, of which a summary is appended, was sub- 

 mitted. The vacancies occurring in the Society's representatives in 

 the Museum Committee were filled up by the re-election of Messrs. 

 Robert Muir and A. Campbell Finlay. 



The office-bearers whose term now expires are Mr. William 

 Auld, senior Vice-President ; Mr. George Murray, Secretary ; and 

 the Rev. Dr. Macmillan, and Messrs. Robert Caird, A. N. Lindsay, 

 and H. J. Taylor, members of Committee. With the exception of 

 the Secretary, they are all ineligible for re-election to the same office 

 for twelve months. It is with much regret that the Committee has 



