2 rOURTH ANNUAL MEETING. 



This fact is gratifying, not only because it evinces the 

 growing interest taken in the proeeedings of the Society, 

 and justifies the anticipations of those who called it into 

 existence, but because it will be imposslble to follow ont 

 satisfactorily the numerons fields of research and investi- 

 gation which this county ofFers, without such an increase 

 of svibscriptions as they tnist they are novv justified in 

 looking forward to. 



" The cost of Publishing the Annual Volume of Pro- 

 eeedings, together with the constant expenses of the 

 museum, absorb so much of the Society's income, that 

 little is leffc for other and most desirable purposes. Hence 

 when an opportunity oflPered for the Society to become 

 purchasers of the Williams Geological CoUection, it was 

 foimd necessary to raise the amount by an independent 

 subscription amongst the members and others, by which 

 means this valuable collection of specimens and maps is 

 deposited in the Society's museiuii. It will not be neces- 

 sary for your Committee to enter into detail regarding the 

 important Contents of this collection, since Mr. Baker has 

 kindly undertaken to read an account of it before the 

 meeting. 



" The Committee feel that it would be superfluous in 

 them to call attention to the interesting papers contained 

 in the Volume of Proeeedings just published ; but they 

 cannot refrain from congratulating the Society on being 

 the means of bringing such an amount of valuable Infor- 

 mation regarding the county of Somerset into a distinct 

 and Condensed form; since, had it not been for the Society, 

 it is pi'obable that many of the papers would never have 

 been written, or they must have been sought for and 

 separated from the contents of some periodical or general 

 publication. 



