( xliii ) 



H. Weyenbergh (born at Haarlem, 6th Dec, 1842, died there July 

 25th, 1885), a pupil of Prof. Burmeister, and for many years 

 Professor of Zoology at the University of Cordova (Argentine 

 Eepublic). Antonio de Lacerda, of Bahia, a prominent 

 coleopterist, died in August, aged 51. J. de Wankowicz, a pro- 

 minent Polish entomologist, died at Minsk, Lithuania, 8th 

 August, aged 50. 



The event of the past year, so far as we are concerned, has 

 been the grant to us of a Eoyal Charter of Incorporation. My 

 immediate predecessor in this Chair — Mr. Dunning — in his 

 Address delivered on January 21st, 1885, expressed his regret 

 that a gracious response to our petition for a Charter had not up 

 to then been received. That gracious response arrived in July 

 last, and, as you all know, in the affirmative, and our coveted 

 Charter is now in the possession of the Society. Accident of 

 position caused me to be named therein as first President. 

 Permit me to say, that while I feel proud of the honour, I most 

 sincerely wish my immediate predecessor had received the 

 distinction in my stead, for it is to his exertions and muni- 

 ficence we are enabled to style ourselves a Corporate Body. As 

 a distinguished member of the legal profession, and as taking the 

 warmest interest in this Society, no one amongst us could have 

 seen more clearly than he, the disadvantageous position in whicli 

 the Society had been placed during the more than fifty years of 

 its existence, — an existence only in name. 



After the public announcement of the grant of a Charter it 

 occurred to several gentlemen, both of and outside our number, 

 to question me as to the meaning and advantages of a Charter. 

 Possibly I should have sought legal advice in framing my 

 answers ; possibly I should have sought it before endeavouring, 

 on the present occasion, to place before you the remarks that 

 follow : I am open to correction if my views be not strictly 

 right. 



In the first place, we have now a legal existence. As a body 

 recognised by name we had existed for more than half a century, 

 but we had no legal existence, and, although we possessed a 

 magnificent property in our Library (and " something in the 

 Funds"), we had, as a body, no real or direct control over this 

 property. By the acquisition of a Charter we have, as a body, 

 through our officers for the time being, an equal control over our 



