﻿40 
  

  

  THE 
  PRESIDENT'S 
  ADDRESS. 
  

  

  Gentlemen, 
  

  

  Time 
  in 
  its 
  onward 
  course 
  has 
  now 
  brought 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  

   period 
  when 
  it 
  becomes 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  President 
  of 
  this 
  Society 
  to 
  

   give 
  to 
  its 
  Members 
  a 
  retrospective 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  year, 
  — 
  when, 
  

   by 
  the 
  wise 
  constitution 
  of 
  our 
  Bye-laws, 
  my 
  tenure 
  of 
  oflSce 
  has 
  ex- 
  

   pired, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  Society 
  is 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  exercise 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  

   selecting 
  a 
  fit 
  person 
  as 
  its 
  future 
  President, 
  — 
  an 
  important 
  one, 
  as 
  

   the 
  character 
  of 
  its 
  Officers 
  must 
  necessarily 
  influence 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   character 
  of 
  a 
  Society. 
  

  

  The 
  Reports 
  from 
  the 
  Council 
  and 
  Auditors 
  of 
  the 
  Treasurer's 
  Ac- 
  

   counts 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  Cabinet 
  and 
  Library 
  Committee, 
  which 
  have 
  alrea- 
  

   dy 
  been 
  read, 
  have 
  put 
  you 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  finances, 
  

   and 
  the 
  progress 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  our 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  necessity 
  (from 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  repairs 
  of 
  our 
  

   former 
  apartments) 
  which 
  compelled 
  us 
  to 
  seek 
  for 
  and 
  obtain 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   place 
  of 
  meeting, 
  together 
  with 
  some 
  other 
  incidental 
  expenses, 
  has 
  

   had 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  rendering 
  our 
  financial 
  report 
  rather 
  less 
  satisfactory 
  

   than 
  ordinary, 
  and 
  has 
  interfered 
  with 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  our 
  cabi- 
  

   nets, 
  you 
  will, 
  I 
  think, 
  agree 
  with 
  me 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  cause 
  for 
  being 
  

   disheartened 
  at 
  our 
  present 
  position, 
  as 
  a 
  moderate 
  subscription 
  on 
  

   the 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  members 
  (which 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  our 
  Society 
  has 
  re- 
  

   solved 
  to 
  solicit) 
  will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  re-establish 
  our 
  pecuniary 
  staiufi 
  

   in 
  quo; 
  whilst 
  the 
  greater 
  convenience 
  of 
  the 
  situation 
  of 
  our 
  present 
  

   apartments 
  will 
  afford 
  increased 
  opportunities 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  in 
  aiding 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  arrangement. 
  

  

  Here, 
  however, 
  I 
  can 
  but 
  allude 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  movement 
  now 
  on 
  

   foot, 
  having 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  objects 
  the 
  location 
  in 
  one 
  grand 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  scientific 
  bodies 
  in 
  the 
  metropolis. 
  Our 
  own 
  Society 
  

   has, 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  year, 
  felt 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  measure 
  in 
  a 
  

   pre-eminent 
  degree 
  ; 
  for 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  a 
  Society 
  like 
  

   our 
  own, 
  possessing 
  a 
  valuable 
  collection 
  of 
  fragile 
  objects, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  

   good 
  library 
  of 
  valuable 
  books, 
  paying 
  its 
  rent 
  regularly, 
  is 
  still 
  liable 
  

   to 
  be 
  ejected 
  by 
  the 
  landlord 
  not 
  performing 
  his 
  engagement 
  of 
  keep- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  premises 
  in 
  repair, 
  or, 
  what 
  is 
  worse, 
  is 
  equally 
  liable 
  to 
  have 
  

   its 
  property 
  seized 
  at 
  any 
  moment 
  for 
  arrears 
  of 
  rent 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  

  

  