8 
elected President for the Session 1897-98, and your Com- 
mittee feel that, in quitting the Chair, after his two years’ 
service to the Society as President, Mr. F. E. Lott is 
deserving of your hearty thanks for the interest he has shewn 
in the Society, and for the energy he has thrown into its 
work. Your Committee recommend his election as a Vice- 
President. 
The Photographic Section has been very active during 
the past Session, frequent meetings have been held, most of 
which have been well attended. It arranged an excellent 
Exhibition of Lantern Slides and Photographs at the last 
Annual General Meeting, and is doing so again for the 
ensuing one. 
The Botanical Section has only held one meeting, but 
is publishing a second instalment of the Flora in the Volume 
of Transactions, which will be issued shortly. 
The Membership of the Society again shews a slight 
decline, the number of Subscribing Members being 187, 
against 191 last year. There are also 11 Honorary Mem- 
bers and 2 Associates, making a total of 200. 
The Society is in a very satisfactory financial condition, 
the balance in hand being £35 8s. 2d., against £36 17s. 10d. 
for the previous year. During the past year the cost of 
publishing Part II of Vol. III of the Transactions and two 
Annnal Reports has been borne, while, on the other hand, 
there has been an extra income of the surplus from the 
Popular Lecture. There is also a sum of £42 7s. 4d. 
standing to the credit of the Investment Account. 
In accordance with Rule 2, The Rev. V. A. Boyle and 
Mr. E. F. Daniel retire from the Committee, and are not 
eligible for re-election. 
In consideration of the valuable services rendered to the 
Society by Mr. T. Gibbs and Mr. H. A. Rye, the Committee 
recommend their election as Honorary Members, and a motion 
to that effect will be submitted to you to-night. 
The late Mr. J. B. Willcox, a member of the Society, 
bequeathed to it his collections of Minerals, Fossils, and 
