Proccedviiija. Ixi 



Fhutncial Stateuicnt. — In the annual statement of accounts 

 submitted this evening? a slight modification has been introduced 

 from the form adopted in previous years, with the object of 

 keeping the Special Fund distinct from the ordinary accounts of 

 the Club. The ordinary balance (not including postages) on the 

 31st ult. was £34 2s., as compared with £20 18s. 9d. last year ; 

 and the Special Fund has increased in the twelve months from 

 £24 9s. 7d. to £30 12s., the sum of £6 2s. 5d. having been 

 received as dividend on £210 lis. 8d. Consols, and no expendi- 

 ture having been incurred in connection with the Natural History 

 collections. Disregarding balances, the net income and the net 

 expenditure for the two years 1886 and 1887 compare thus : — 



1886. 1887. 



£ s. d, £ s. d. 



Net Income 147 5 6 138 14 6 



Net Expenditm-e 175 8 8 125 11 3 



- 28 3 2 -f 13 3 3 



There is one particularly gratifying feature in the accounts, 

 ■which is, that notwithstanding the extremely unfavourable 

 weather on the night of the Annual Conversazione, — intense 

 frost and a fog so dense that not a few visitors were obliged to 

 turn back after starting without having readied the Hall,— the 

 cost to the Club was, with the exception of 188.:), less than in 

 any year since 1876. This reflects great credit on Messrs. 

 Crowley, Berney, Cowdell, Sturge, and Sarjeant, on whom lay 

 the chief burden of the preparation for the entertainment. The 

 average annual cost of the Conversazione for the eighteen years 

 since its establishment has amoiinted to £52 9s. 4d., and the 

 sale of tickets has reahzed £26 7s. 7d., thus leaving £26 Is. 9d. 

 to be borne by the general funds of the Club. The expense to 

 the Club of the last Conversazione was £29 3s. 2d., against 

 £32 2s. 2d. in the previous year, although there were 230 more 

 members and visitors present in 1886. It wall also be noticed 

 that the cost of printing the Transactions in the year just 

 terminated has been only £12 17s., as compared with £49 Is. Id. 

 in 1886. 



Ptthli^■ations.—^Ye are indebted to Ih. Mennell for again kindly 

 editing the Proceedings and Transactions of the Club, including 

 the period March, 1886, to January, 1887. The printed matter 

 has been considerably less than last year, which to some extent 

 is due to the resolution of the Club at the Annual Meeting in 

 Jainiary, 1882, " That in future the Transactions of the Club 

 contain only papers on local sul)jects, or such as are the result 

 of ori<:inal observation and research." 



b 2 



