ANNUAL MEETING GENERAL BUSINESS. 177 



One Secretary makes this practical suggestion : — •" That the 

 Societies in the Union should all be urged to make the Annual 

 Meeting of the Union one of their own fixtures, so as t< unsure a larger 

 attendance. This would have been done by my Society on the present 

 occasion, but the matter was unfortunately overlooked till too late." 



This suggestion has also been made : — " That Sectional Meetings for 

 practical work should be held during the year by groups of neighbour- 

 ing Societies, who might in this way render valuable help to each 

 other." 



The last suggestion the Council have to bring before your notice is 

 the following : — " The Council of the Midland Union are no doubt aware 

 that the Railway Companies issue return tickets to members of 

 Fishing Clubs to various places at single fares. The Committee of my 

 Society have made application to the Midland, London and North- 

 western, and Great Western Railway Companies for the same 

 privilege, but have not been successful in any case. They therefore 

 suggest that an application be made by the Council with such 

 influential support as they may be able to command. As the privilege 

 is granted to even single members of Fishing Clubs, it would be a 

 great boon if members of Natural History Societies were able to follow 

 their pursuits with the like advantages." 



Reference was made in the last Report to the Science College 

 munificently founded at Birmingham, and endowed by Sir Josiah 

 Mason. Kt.. then nearly completed. The College was opened on the 

 1st of October last, the Inaugural Address being delivered by Professor 

 Huxley, F.R.S., the benevolent founder being present on the interest- 

 ing occasion. The cost of the site and of the landed property with 

 which it was endowed (yielding an annual income of about £3,700) 

 was £110,000, and the cost of the College and the furnishing was 

 £60,000 more. The opening of this Science College in the heart of 

 the Midland Counties is of so much importance and interest to most 

 of the Members of this Union, that your Council felt it would gratify 

 many who are assembled at this meeting to have some particulars of 

 the progress it has already made ; and by the courtesy of the Chair- 

 man of the Trustees they are enabled to state that 

 During the 1st term there were 52 students. 

 2nd „ 41 



3rd „ 74 



The present Professors are as follows : — 



Mathematics.— M. 3. M. Hill, M.A. Lond., B.A. Cantab., Fellow of 

 Univ. Coll., London. 



Physics. — J. H. Poynting, M.A. Cantab., B.Sc. London, late Fellow 

 of Trinity College, Cambridge. 



Chemistry.— W. A. Tilden, D.Sc. Lond., F.R.S. 



Biolor/i/.—T. W. Bridge, M.A. Cantab., F.L.S. 

 But in October next additional Professors, recently appointed, will 



commence their Lectures as follows : — 



] J Inj,siijli)!i>j. — J. B. Haycraft, M.B. 



Geolof/y and Mineralogy. — Charles Lapworth, F.G.S. 



Civil and Mechanical Engineering. — Robert H. Smith. 



Latin and Greek. — N. Bodington, M.A. Oxon. 



English Language and Literature. — Edward Arber, F.S.A., Hon. 

 Fellow of King's Coll., London. 



French. — Mons. Eugene Joel. 



German. — Dr. Karl Dammann. 



In order to render the College available to those who are occupied 

 by business avocations during the day, cheap Evening Lectures were 



