BELFAST MUSEUM. 
Tue annual meeting shareholders, as convened by ad- 
‘ yertisement, took place at three o’clock on Thursday, the 
29th of June, 1871. Mr. William Bottomley, J.P., was 
ealled to the chair. There were also present—Dr. James 
Thomson, Mr. Patterson, Mr. Joseph John Murphy, Mr. 
R. L. Patterson, Mr. R. M‘Adam, Mr. John Anderson, 
Dr. Henry Burden, &c. 
Mr. A. O’D. Taytor, senior secretary, read the annual 
report as follows:— 
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE BELFAST 
MUSEUM BY THE COUNCIL OF THE NATURAL HISTORY AND 
PHILOSOPHICAL SocrETY For 1870-71. 
“The present meeting brings to a conclusion the 
fiftieth session of the Belfast Natural History and Philo- 
sophical Society, aud your council therefore cannot but 
feel a pardonable pride when they look back over the 
efforts of their predecessors during the past half century, 
and reflect that through their instrumentality a taste for 
natural history has been for so many years diffused from 
Belfast as a centre ; that scientific papers have been, ses- 
sion after session, brought forward by the members of 
_ this society; and that a commodious museum has been 
_ erected to contain collections for reference. Of the eight 
original founders of the society in 1821, three are still 
alive ; one of them, our retiring president this year, Mr. 
Patterson, whose exceptionally long, uninterrupted, and 
_yaluable connexion with the society your council wish to 
ecord herein asa special subject for congratulation. 
The reading of papers throughout the session now 
_ terminated has been conducted in the same way as during 
“ preceding session, on a joint platform with the Na- 
_ turalists’ Field Club. In all, thirteen meetings haye beon 
held, and the following isa list of their dates, subjects, and 
readers :— 
No. 1*, “2d November, 1870, ‘Introductory Remarks,’ by 
the president for the session—Robert Patterson, Esq., 
_F-R.S.; ‘Cuttle Fishes’ by Henry Burden, M.D, 
