I38 Orkney Natural History Society. 



which we consider as of great interest, both as showing that the in- 

 habitants of that far distant part of the United Kingdom are deter- 

 mined not to be behind their more favoured countrymen of the south; 

 and also as being the first instance that has come under our notice 

 of a Society for the pursuit of science being so constituted as to ad- 

 mit to membership individuals belonging to the poorer classes of so- 

 ciety. It will be seen by the laws of the Society, extracts from which 

 we subjoin, that the annual subscription is fixed at the very small 

 sum of two shillings, and yet the committee are able to state, at the 

 end of the first year of the Society's existence, that " the funds, so 

 far from being embarrassed, have more than met the numerous out- 

 lays." 



Amongst the laws of the Society are the following : 



•' 1 . The Society shall be designated ' The Orkney Natural History 

 Society,' and shall have for its object the promoting of natural sci- 

 ence by the support of a museum, and by any' other means in its 

 power. 



" 2. The property of the Society shall be inalienable. 



" 3. The ordinary Members of the Society shall pay the sum of 

 two shillings sterling annually. 



" 4. The general meetings of the Society shall be held quarterly, 

 viz. on the third Tuesday in January, April, July, and October, 

 the chair to be taJsen at 1 o'clock, p.m. ; and that of January to be 

 the anniversary, when the office-bearers shall be elected. 



" 7. Gentlemen friendly to the institution may be elected Corre- 

 sponding Members, and such as are eminent for science may be 

 elected Honorary Members of the Society," 



The objects that they have in view are stated in the first sentence 

 of the report in the following terms : — " The Orkney Natural History 

 Society was instituted for the twofold object of investigating the 

 Natural History and Antiquities of the county, and of stimulating 

 the inhabitants of these islands to the study of the Almighty's works;" 

 and the progress which they have made in one year is stated as fol- 

 lows ; — In geology there are now in the museum above 500 speci- 

 mens from Ui)per Canada, Norway, France, Italy, and the British 

 Isles. The Orkney specimens include about J 00 fossil fish. The 

 specimens in mineralogy amount to 400. There are about 60 

 specimens of birds and 200 eggs. Tlie collection of land plants 

 already consists of upwards of 600 specimens, and the collection 

 of Algae, for obtaining which there is not a better place in Britain 

 than these islands, is " truly excellent." The Society possesses se- 

 veral most ardent cultivators of marine botany, amongst whom may 



