of Advisory and Research Officers, and had selected a Demon- 

 stration Area and created a Forest School, they could not 

 deal adequately with the question of schemes of afforesta- 

 tion, but that they would always be glad to consider any 

 representations offered by the Society on all matters relating to 

 forestry. This reply was considered unsatisfactory, and a further 

 communication was sent to the Board pointing out that the 

 position as regards forestry seemed to be worse than it was 

 six months previously, and that the Society itself knew that 

 expert advisers were available and could be obtained, so that 

 there need be no further delay on that account. A deputation, 

 consisting of the Council with the addition of Sir Herbert 

 Maxwell, an ex-President of the Society, was afterwards received 

 by the Secretary for Scotland in the offices of the Board of 

 Agriculture for Scotland, 29 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, 

 when these matters were discussed. The full proceedings of 

 the deputation are printed in the January Transactions. Since 

 then a letter has been received from the Board of Agriculture 

 saying that they have nothing to add to what was said by the 

 Secretary for Scotland in reply to the Society's deputation, but 

 that they welcomed the Society's offer of co-operation in any 

 schemes of afforestation which might be forthcoming in the 

 future. 



Motio?is. 



The Council appointed a Committee to consider the motions 

 which are on the agenda for discussion at this meeting, and after 

 receiving the Committee's report, the whole question was very 

 fully discussed, when the following decisions were arrived at : — 



1. As to Mr Richardson's motion : That the proposed changes 

 on the Laws were unnecessary, and should not be made. 



2. As to Mr Gammell's motion : That the President of each 

 effective Branch with not less than fifty members should be 

 ex officio an additional member of the Council. 



3. As to Mr Gilchrist's motion : That the whole day should 

 be devoted to the Annual Meeting — the forenoon for business, 

 and the afternoon for conference ; and that it was unnecessary 

 to pass a formal motion on the subject. 



The report was adopted. 



Finances. 



The Abstract of Accounts, which had been printed and 

 circulated amongst the members previous to the meeting, was 

 formally submitted by Mr M'Haitie, Convener of the Finance 

 Committee. In moving the adoption of the accounts, Mr 

 M'Hattie ursred that each member should endeavour to secure 



