2 
be given to the funds of the Museum. In order to have 
more convenient access to the necessary apparatus, these 
lectures were delivered at Queen’s College. They were 
well attended, and excited much interest from the de- 
tails, which were explained in the most skilful manure 
by Dr. Andrews, The grateful thanks of the council 
are due to that distinguished chemist for his kindness 
and courtesy. The council have the painful duty of re- 
cording the decease of a highly-esteemed member of the 
society, Edmund Getty, Esq., who had always taken the 
liveliest interest in our progress. He gave active codpe- 
ratien when our present building was in the course of 
erection, and when the collections in the Museum were 
first broughttogether,and for many years he contributed pa- 
persatourmeetings. Hepossessedagreat fund of infurma- 
tion onalmost every subject, but he bad more particularly 
directed his attention to the study of statistics and an- 
tiquities, in which departwents he had collected much 
local information, which he had partly made arrange- 
ments for publishing. His official situation, as secretary 
of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, frequently ena- 
bled bim to direct the attention of the suciety to scien- 
tific matters connected with this district ; and, by his 
sudden death, we are deprived of a valuable fellow- 
member, whose advice and assistance were always 
ready, and alwaysimportant. Mr. Getty was, also, one 
of the three trustees of the Museum; and, in conse- 
quence of his demise, it will be necessary, on the pre- 
sent occasion, to appoint a new trustee to supply his 
place. During the past session, there have been six 
public and eight private meetings of the society, at 
which the following papers have been communicated :— 
“October 21, 1857—Mr. R. Patterson—* On Speci- 
mens of Locust recently Captured in this Neighbour- 
hood,’ and ‘On the Bottle-Nosed Whale, taken, last 
montl, in Belfast Lough.’ 
“ November 4, 1857—Dr. Andrews—‘ On the Manu- 
facture of Stearic Acid, and other analogous badies em- 
ploy-d for illaminating purposes.’ 
“ November 18 —Mr. T. Malcomson—‘ On the Native 
Eagles.’ 
** November 18—Mr. J. J. Murphy—‘ On the Cli- 
mates of Northern Latitudes.’ 
** December 2—Mr. J. Thomson, C.E.—‘ On the Ef- 
fects of Pres-ure in Lowering the Freezing Point of 
Water ; and On the Plasticity of Ice.’ 
“ December 23—Professor Wyville Thomson—‘ On 
the Reproduction of the Hydroid Zoophytes.’ 
* January 6, 1858—Mr. G. C.. Hyndman—‘ On some 
of the Kesults of Dredging, near Belfast.’ 
‘January 6—Mr. J. Pim, jun.—‘ On the Atlantic - 
Telegraph.’ 
‘January 20—Mr. Grattan—‘ On some Ancient Irish 
