76 



Ammonites has been temporarily suspended for lack of funds 

 to meet the heavy outlay for maps, sections, woodcuts, &c. I 

 should hope, however, that that impediment being now removed, 

 we may look to see that important work continued and carried 

 steadily forward to completion. I trust that the present season 

 wiU produce a larger quantity of original work. For though 

 I will not call a season wasted which does not bring large 

 accessions to our printed papers, still the public — and by that I 

 mean the scientific pubUc — ^wUl necessarily measure our progress 

 by some such standard; and I desire, above all things, that the 

 standard to which we have of late years aspired should be 

 maintained. In the meantime it is satisfactory to note that 

 there is no falling-off in the interest of members, as shown by 

 the usually full attendance at the "meets." I say usually, as I 

 have again to notice, with regret, that the "foreign meeting," 

 as I style the one which assembles outside the boundary of our 

 own county, was again very scantily attended; indeed, had it 

 not* been for the full gathering of Bath Naturalists who came 

 to greet us, the failure would have been very mortifying. This 

 makes me hesitate respecting the appointment this year of 

 a similar meeting. It has been tried now for several years, 

 without securing that support which I have sO anxiously looked 

 for. I have in former addresses referred at length to this 

 subject, and urged all the reasons which in my opinion could 

 have weight, to induce members to support me in carrying out 

 this object^ — but hitherto almost in vain. I will not re-state 

 these reasons, but leave it to the Club to decide whether to 

 repeat the experiment or not; only pressing upon members the 

 obhgation, in case they agree to do so, to support their President 

 in becoming force. 



Before concluding these prehminary remarks, I must take 

 occasion to caU to the notice of the Club the present condition 

 of the Museum at Gloucester — a Museum containing the only 

 local collection illustrative of the Natural History of our county, 

 of which the fossils collected by our colleague, Mr, John Jones, 

 of remarkable value and admirably arranged, were secured for 

 the benefit of the county some three years ago. A considerable 



