president's address. Ixxxix. 



Dorsetshire men and women ; and, in furtherance of that 

 object, could I be sure of support, I would gladly see the 

 scope of our Club enlarged so as to include both chemistry 

 and electricity, bearing in mind the great part that they must 

 inevitably play in the future history of the world. Of the 

 popularity of our summer meetings there is ample proof, for 

 last year, under torrents of pouring rain, more than 70 members 

 and their friends were present on two occasions, and I think 

 this scale of attendance has been borne out by the experience of 

 other years. I am not sure that we can claim the same amount 

 of interest in our winter meetings, but I do not despair. Papers 

 may sometimes be too long and debates too protracted, and 

 under these circumstances you cannot always expect ladies and 

 gentlemen to forego other engagements, heedless of bad 

 weather and short days. But, whatever our shortcomings may 

 be, we still hope we may not appeal to all our members and 

 friends in vain to do their utmost to keep up the reputation we 

 have so well earned in the past by extending, as far lies in their 

 power, the knowledge of the Society and its work, and especially 

 by enlisting new recruits amongst the rising generation and so 

 promoting the permanent interests of science in this county. 

 And here, thanking you for the patient attention with which 

 you have listened to the foregoing observations, I should 

 naturally bring my address to a conclusion. But before I sit 

 down I feel bound to allude one matter, and that is the gratify- 

 ing response that has been made by the members of this Club 

 and the county at large to the appeal on behalf of the Mansel- 

 Pleydell Memorial Fund. That appeal has resulted, as you 

 doubtless know, after defraying the cost of the portrait of our 

 late President and all other incidental expenses, in a handsome 

 surplus of ;^87 or thereabouts, which has been invested in the 

 purchase of a New South Wales Government 3 per cent, bond, 

 with the intention that the interest shall be devoted to giving an 

 annual prize or medal for the best essay on some scientific 

 subject to be from year to year determined. I sincerely hope 

 that this nucleus (for I can call it nothing else) of a prize fund 



