HON. SCIENTIFIC SECRETARY’S REPORT. 
Durinc the past year, under the able presidency of 
Mr. Siddall, the Society has enjoyed marked prosperity, 
and in a variety of ways justified its existence. The 
number of Members has increased, and the Society has 
now a small balance in its favour. This is due to the 
efficient management of your Committee. 
Again, the purely scientific work has not been lacking, 
and it will be seen from the appended lists that the 
Lectures during the past winter have been of great value ; 
not only the General Lectures, but also those given at the 
Sectional Meetings. This has been proved by the very 
large audiences that have come to hear them. Some of 
the subjects treated were of special interest at the present 
moment —being connected with South Africa, and our 
Society gladly devoted the proceeds arising from one of 
these lectures to help those who are now nobly devoting 
their lives to the restoration of peace, and making it 
possible that South Africa may yet become one of the 
brightest and happiest portions of Her Majesty’s Empire. 
The excursions during the last summer were well 
attended, and it is to be hoped that the knowledge of our 
own Flora and Fauna has become more widely spread. 
The notable event of the year was the discovery of the 
Human Skeleton in the Boulder-clay at Saltney, by 
Mr. Newstead. The full significance of this discovery yet 
remains to be appreciated. Some of our Members have 
given special attention to the F/ora, and have added to our 
already published list. 
The Natural Philosophy Section has had many good 
Meetings. The study of Physics is every year becoming 
more and more important; and what are to-day the 
experiments of the Laboratory, will shortly become neces- 
sities of modern civilization. Art has not been forgotten, 
and has taken a place amongst our Sections. Let us hope 
by cultivating our sense of beauty it will give us a keener 
appreciation of nature, and by improving design make 
labour less mechanical and, therefore, less irksome. 
Although there has been much to cheer us, still the 
past year has been to many of us a year of sorrow. First, 
the loss of our good Duke, who by his kindness and 
generosity has always helped forward everything that 
would conduce to the moral and intellectual advancement 
of Chester. Again, we have lost Alderman Charles Brown, 
who was a loyal friend to the Society from its very foun- 
dation. In conclusion, your Committee appeal most earnestly 
to all the Members to try and work out some one point in 
Natural Science, however humble and obscure it may seem ; 
they themselves will be the better for the study, and the 
story of Newton and the apple, and of Galvani and the frogs, 
prove that simple observations may lead to great results. 
HENRY STOLTERFOTH, 
Scientific Secretary. 
