President's Address. 307 



The Council has had occasion during the past session fco present 

 an address of condolence to Her Majesty, the Patron of the Society, 

 on the lamented death of Prince Henry of Battenberg, and to 

 the Royal Academy on the occasion of the death of their President, 

 Lord Leighton. In the absence of Council, during the recess, I sent 

 another message of sympathy 011 the death of Sir J. Millais. 



I had the privilege of presenting on behalf of the Council, an 

 address of congratulation to our late President, Lord Kelvin, on the 

 occasion of his Jubilee, nobly celebrated in Glasgow last summer, by 

 a very remarkable concourse of scientific men from all parts of the 

 world, assembled to do him honour. 



Addresses were also sent to our Foreign Member, Professor Can- 

 nizzaro, on the celebration of his seventieth birthday, and to the 

 University of Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A., on the occasion of its 

 Sesquicentenary Anniversary. 



Under the guidance of the Scientific Relief Committee, the Council 

 has during the year granted 100 to assist scientific persons or their 

 relatives in distress. The Council desires to call the attention of the 

 Fellows to the fact that, during the year, as during past years, the 

 income of the fund has exceeded its expenditure, and that more aid 

 could be given -than has been given. With the view of increasing 

 the usefulness of the fund, the Council has added to the list of those 

 who can make representations to the Council concerning relief 

 the Presidents of the Mathematical, Physical, and Entomological 

 Societies. 



I cannot but give expression to my deep regret, shared, I am sure, 

 by every Fellow, that Lord Rayleigh, whose tenure of office as 

 Secretary has been marked as much by faithful devotion to the in- 

 terests of the Society as by scientific brilliancy, has thought it right, 

 in consequence of increasing pressure of other engagements, to 

 retire. But I rejoice that the Council can submit to your suffrages a 

 man well qualified to wear the mantle laid down by Lord Rayleigh. 



The Fellows will be pleased to learn that Mr. Rix, who was com- 

 pelled by the condition of his health a year ago, to resign the 

 position which he had held for many years with such great advantage 

 to the Society, has much improved under the lighter labour of the 

 Clerkship to the Government Grant Committee. 



As his successor in the office of Assistant- Secretary, the Council, 

 out of eighty-four candidates, unanimously selected Mr. Robert 

 Harrison, who entered upon his duties on the 24th of April last. 



The scientific work of the Society during the past year has been 

 full of deep and varied interest. Early in the session the announce- 

 ment of Rontgen's great discovery burst upon the world. Its won- 

 derful applications to medicine and surgery attracted universal 

 attention to it ; and physicists everywhere have since been engaged 



