30 



TUESDAY. JANUARY Uh. 1881. 



The Annual Meeting was hell, and the Election of Officers and 

 Council took place. 



The duly audited Statement of Accounts was presented by 

 Mr. E. W. Bhabeook. the Acting Treasurer. Mr. Niemann Smith 

 and Mr. Geoege Readdy acted as Scrutineers. 



The Peesident stated that early in November, last year, a 

 subsidence of the ground occuiTed on Blackheath ; and on the 

 IHth November a second and more seiious subsidence took plao«.. 

 As it appeared to the Council very desirable that the causes of these 

 subsidences should be carefully investigated, a grant of £ 1 was 

 made by them, and approved by the Members of the Associa- 

 tion at the ordinary Meeting held on 7th December. 1880. The 

 removal of the fallen earth, in the case of the subsidence of the 

 19th November, was commenced by Mr. S. J. JerrarJ, on the 

 18th December, but the operations were brought to a close on 

 the 23rd, on the discovery that the exploration would have to be 

 carried on on a scale of far gi-eater magnitude than was originally 

 contemplated. An appeal for subscriptions would probably before 

 long be made to the Members of the Association, and to the public, 

 when the work of investigation would once more be proceeded with. 



The President then delivered the Annual Address. He 

 congratulated the Association on the Reports just read, and the 

 prosperous condition to which they bore witness. He then briefly 

 reviewed the work of the Association during the past year ; and 

 going on to speak of scientific progress in general, noticed the 

 photophone, which the spirit of prophecy would seem to have 

 foretold to Coleridge when it compelled him to write, some 70 years 



ago, of 



" the one life witliin us and abroad. 



Which meets all motion and becomes its soul, 

 A light in sound, a sound-like power in light, 

 Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere." 



He referred also to the improvements which had been recently 

 made in the electric light ; and to the wide prospect now opening 

 to chemical analysis by means of the spectroscope : on all which, 



