.?//? WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.R.S. 



ADDRESS 



Of C. WILLIAM SIEMENS, ESQ., D.C.L., F.R.S., 



President of the Institution of MecJianical Engineers, 



Delivered at Liverpool, on Tuesday, 30^ July, 1872. 



THE PRESIDENT,* in opening the proceedings, said there were 

 two important subjects that had occupied the consideration of the 

 Council for some time past, to which he had now to draw the 

 attention of the members. 



The first was the question of holding one of the meetings of the 

 Institution annually in London. The wish having been expressed 

 by several of the members that a meeting should be held in London 

 once a year, the Council had considered the question carefully, and 

 had come to the conclusion that it was desirable for a trial of such 

 a meeting to be held next year, and the time most suitable for the 

 convenience and advantage of the members was considered to be 

 in the spring. As, however, the present rules contained no pro- 

 vision for holding such a meeting, it would be necessary for them 

 to be altered for the purpose ; and notice would accordingly be 

 given at the next meeting for enabling the requisite alteration to 

 be made at the anniversary meeting in January, that being 

 the only meeting at which an alteration of the rules could be 

 effected. 



The second question had regard to the house of the Institution. 

 The present accommodation had now become very insufficient, 

 and the ordinary meetings of the Institution had to be held in a 

 room kindly lent for the purpose. It had long been felt a matter 

 of considerable importance and desirability to have a suitable 

 house for the Institution, as soon as the funds were sufficient to 

 warrant such a step ; and the financial position was now very 

 flourishing, the funds of the Institution amounting already to 

 about 8,000, while the annual income exceeded the present ex- 



* Excerpt Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 

 1872, pp. 120-124. 



