1816 M. Dubuisson; Lord Erskine 249 



1816. The Annual General Meeting for 1816 took place on 

 nth July and was attended by twenty- three members, the 

 Earl of Morton in the chair. The Treasurer announced that 

 the expenses for the year had amounted to 108 75. and that 

 there remained in his hands a balance of 2 75. 4d. The 

 meeting resolved that the contribution from each member 

 for the ensuing year should be three pounds. There were 

 two vacancies, to fill which a ballot was taken and Henry 

 Browne (F.R.S. 1797) and Daniel Moore (F.R.S. 1810) were 

 declared duly elected. 



The attendance since the last Anniversary showed remark- 

 able fluctuations, and the falling-off in autumn was more 

 pronounced than ever. Thus on 4th April there were 22 

 persons, comprising 14 members and 8 visitors ; on the 

 following Thursday there were only two Sir Everard Home 

 and his guest. In the autumn of 1816 from i8th July to 

 I7th October on most days only two came to dine, twice 

 only one, and once none. 



This year again a few foreign visitors came to the Club. 

 On January nth the President had as one of his guests 

 " Mons. du Buisson." If we may identify the name with 

 that of Francois R. A. Dubuisson of Nantes, he was one 

 of the fortunate French naturalists who escaped execution 

 when arrested by the minions of the Revolution. Brought 

 before the tribunal, he was dismissed when the public prose- 

 cutor could only say of him that he was " a poor man 

 without influence of any kind, busy only with science, and 

 whose labours might one day be useful to the country." He 

 was an enthusiastic naturalist, especially skilled in geology, 

 and became Director of the Natural History Museum of 

 Nantes, which he greatly enlarged, bestowing on it whatever 

 he could discover in the region. He published some works 

 on the geology and mineralogy of his native region, and 

 was the friend of many of the foremost naturalists and 

 mineralogists of France. Another foreign name is written 

 " Mr. Vallee " and a third appears as " Mr. Boetiflower." 



The most notable of the homeland guests this year was 

 undoubtedly Lord Erskine, whom the President invited to 



