120 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



of not having received Mr. Hogg's letter until after the last meeting 

 which led to some little ambiguity at the time, but which the Fellows 

 would now readily understand. 



Mr. Beck suggested that it would be better in future if the balloting 

 lists for Officers and Council could be sent by post to the Fellows before 

 the meeting ; he believed that this was the usual practice in some other 

 societies, and he believed it would tend to give a greater interest to 

 the proceedings, by more generally intimating what was about to be 

 done, as well as affording a better opportunity of making any altera- 

 tions in the list which might be desired. 



Mr. Chas. Brooke said that this was the practice in the Royal, 

 Royal Medical, Pathological, and other Societies, and it was found to 

 render the ballot more efficient, and certainly created a greater general 

 interest in what was going on in the Society. 



The Secretary saw no objection whatever to this being done in 

 future, and accordingly made a memorandum to the effect that the lists 

 should be enclosed in the copies of the Journal which were posted to 

 the Fellows previously to the Annual Meeting, or sent by post. 



Mr. Beck and Mr. Suffolk having been appointed scrutineers, the 

 ballot for Officers and Council for the ensuing year was taken ; at the 

 close of which it was declared that the whole of the gentlemen whose 

 names had been printed on the house-list were duly elected. 



The Secretai-y then read the Annual Report of the Council, and 

 also the Treasurer's statement of account ; after which, 



The President delivered the Anniversary Address, which will be 

 found printed in extenso at p. 97. 



It was moved by Mr. Chas. Brooke, and seconded by Dr. Millar, 

 that the reports now read be received and adopted, and that they be 

 printed and circulated in the usual way. The same gentlemen moved 

 and seconded that the best thanks of the meeting be presented to the 

 President for the admirable Address which he had delivered to them 

 on that occasion, and that he permit it to be printed in the Society's 

 Transactions. • 



The motion having been put to the meeting by the Secretary, was 

 carried unanimously. 



Mr. Beck said that he was desirous of saying a few words with 

 regard to the report, and also of calling attention to one or two 

 matters in connection with the Society, which he thought affected its 

 interests. He felt that they were deeply indebted to those gentlemen 

 who had driven the coach of the Society so well and safely in the 

 past, and he believed that as " outsiders " they knew but little of the 

 difficulties met with by the way. Theirs was not like many other 

 scientific societies, because they had a specialty, and consequently 

 were at a disadvantage as compared with the Zoological, Astronomical, 

 or Linnean Societies, to which many papers of special interest could 

 be taken, and this difficulty was one which was not experienced to the 

 same extent in the earlier days of the Society. He thought that the 

 ordinary meetings of the Society were not so well attended as they 

 used to be, and he regretted that this should be so, though he felt sure 

 that the Council would be very glad to have this obviated if it were 



