For the last four years the Club has, at my suggestion, 

 adopted the practice of fixing one of our meets outside the 

 boundary of the County of Gloucester. I have strongly ui'ged the 

 advantage of observing this custom, because it tends to enlarge 

 oui' views, extend oiir knowledge, and vdden our influence, while 

 affording opportunities for much social and intellectual inter- 

 course with students of science outside of our own Hmited circle, 

 together with a field of observation, the very novelty of Avhich 

 should be a special attraction. But I have observed with regret, 

 that the advantage of these opportunities has never received 

 that cordial recognition from the Club which their importance 

 claims. I can only attribute this to the fact that the utility of 

 these meetings has never been thoroughly recognised among us; 

 yet their manifest and intrinsic attractiveness would seem to 

 need no expositor to recommend them to oxir acceptance. I 

 know that other Field Clubs, not more wealthy nor more 

 numerous than our own, find no difficulty in organising distant 

 meets. I would instance the Woolhope, the Malvern, and the 

 Worcestershire Field Clubs, amongst whom such excursions are 

 popular and well attended. In spite, then, of i^revious failures, 

 I feel it a duty to continue to urge upon you the practical value 

 of carrying out my views in this respect; and I take leave to 

 express a hope that yom* President may not again find himself 

 in the unenviable position of sole representative of the Club in a 

 remote district, amongst strangers who could not fail to form a 

 depreciatory opinion of an Association thus feebly represented. 



The statement of our financial condition, as submitted by our 

 Secretary, will be found to be satisfactory. I must observe, 

 however, that the balance is small; and, small as it is, it is due 

 to the fact that Dr. Weight has been imable, from pressure of 

 other work, to complete another fasciculus of the Lias Ammonites, 

 that we are able to show a balance in our favor at all. This is 

 not as it should be; we are engaged in publishing a class of 

 illustrated works, which tend greatly to exalt the reputation of 

 om- Society. It is only necessary to refer to the paper by Mr. 

 Ethekidge, which will appear in the forthcoming fasciculus of 

 our transactions, beautifully illustrated by numerous sections, 



