ANNUAL MEETING—GENERAL BUSINESS. 169 
The number of members is now about 3,000, and the great object of 
the Union is to make these members and their work known to one 
another, to unite them in single efforts, and to endeavour to guide them 
in lines of useful inquiry which shall lead to the increase of scientific 
knowledge, the education and development of the observing faculties, 
and so far as is possible the good of our fellow men. Already during the 
past year many pleasant friendships have been formed, and some 
scientific investigations started through the medium of our Union; 
working together and with definite aims we hope to achieve solidity and 
thoroughness in our undertakings, to supply advice and information to 
those who are in need of it, and to prevent the waste of time and energy 
with which the scientific record of the past is teeming. 
The Treasurer’s report will give particulars of the income of the 
Union during the past two years. £11 4s. 10d. was received up to last 
meeting, and £11 10s. 4d. since, making a total of £22 15s. 2d. The 
expenditure for the two years amounts to £28, details of which will be 
submitted to you. A resolution was passed at the last Annual Meeting 
«That it be a recommendation from this meeting that the annual sub- 
scription be raised, and that hon. secretaries be requested to report to a 
future meeting of the Union the opinion of their societies upon the 
subject.” The opinions of such societies as have been communicated are 
almost unanimous. One society has expressed its willingness to pay 
whatever annual contribution your Council may fix; the others either 
recommend that it shall not exceed threepence per member, or state that 
they will not pay a larger sum. So long as the Union is not engaged in 
any work involving much expenditure, a nominal subscription will 
probably meet all disbursements; but, in an organisation numbering 3,000 
members, it must be obvious that a sum of one penny per member must 
be totally inadequate to defray even the cost of a circular to each member 
and the postage thereof. Three-fourths of the cost of the programme 
of the Birmingham meeting were defrayed by the local conversazione 
committee, who were so fortunate as to provide the members with a most 
instructive and enjoyable meeting, which was self-supporting. What 
will be done in the present year remains to be seen, though your Council 
are satisfied that the local Society has done everything in its power to 
ensure the success of our gathering. At the same time they cannot but 
feel that as the meetings of the Union must in turn be held in 
smaller towns where the members will be few in number, it behoves 
them to adopt such measures as will place at the disposal of the Union 
funds to supplement where needed those which may be forthcoming from 
the locality, For they cannot but think that these annual gatherings of 
naturalists in various parts of the midland counties must result in 
increased attention to the study of natural science, and they feel assured 
that all who have any interest in the encouragement of such studies will 
gladly co-operate by contributing where necessary to the expenses 
incurred by those who undertake the onerous duty of providing for the 
entertainment of such a large number of visitors as our experience so far 
justifies us in expecting at our annual meetings. Your Council, there- 
fore, recommends that the annual subscription be raised to threepence 
per member. 
Your Council have received an invitation from the Northampton 
Naturalists’ Society to hold the annual meeting in 1880 at Northampton. 
They have had much pleasure in unanimously deciding to recommend 
this meeting to accept the invitation. 
The Council regret to state that they have received the resignation 
of Mr. W. Jerome Harrison, one of the hon. secs. He has, however, 
consented to continue his connection with the ‘ Midland Naturalist” as 
one of its editors. Mr. Harrison has resigned from a conviction that it 
