NATURAL HISTORY 
AND 
EFHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 
—<—>«o— 
THE annual meeting of the above society was held 
in the Museum, on Thursday, June 3, 1875, at two 
o’clock. Mr. JosephJohn Murphy, occupied the 
chair. There were also present :—Mr. John Smyth 
jun., Mr. John Anderson, Mr. R. L. Patterson, 
Professor Purser, Rev. John Kinghan, Professor 
Everett, Dr. Henry Burden, Mr. W. H. Patterson, 
Mr. A. O’D. Taylor, Dr. Cunningham, &e. 
Mr. Taytor read the annual report, which was 
as follows:—The council have pleasure in 
again meeting the shareholders of the society, and 
in reporting that the twelve months now termi- 
nated have been marked by a considerable acces- 
sion of new shareholders and members. The even- 
ing meetings have been rather better attended 
than of late years, both on the public and private 
evenings ; and the list of papers read will show 
that the inclusive character of the society has been 
fully availed of, the subjects brought forward rang- 
ing over a wide field of investigation. There has 
been no difficulty felt in obtaining readers; but 
your committee are specially desirous that new 
members would not hesitate to give the society 
the advantage of their researches, it being an 
essential to the growth and development of every 
society that new men and new thoughts should 
come forward year by year. 
The following is the list of communications réad 
during the session of 1874-5 :— 
4th November, 1874—Public Meeting—Intro- 
ductory address on “‘ Atoms and Automata” by the 
President, Joseph John Murphy, Esq., F.G.S. 
