370 Presidentship of Lord Wrottesley 1855 



The Treasurer's annual statement showed that the expenses 

 for the past year amounted to 97 155. 6d., leaving in his 

 hands an unexpended sum of 25 us. 5d. The contribution 

 for the year was again fixed at two pounds. The atten- 

 dance since the last Anniversary had been 205 diners, 

 composed of 174 members and 31 visitors. 



By the death of Sir Robert H. Inglis a vacancy was created. 

 Although six members had been absentees during the whole 

 of the past year, and one or two of them for much longer 

 periods, no vacancies were declared on the ground of non- 

 attendance. Samuel H. Christie had resigned, but as he 

 was an ex-officio member his retirement caused no vacancy 

 in the ordinary membership. The single vacant place was 

 filled by the election of Robert Stephenson, civil engineer, 

 and the most famous bridge -builder of his day. He had 

 been elected into the Royal Society in 1849. 



The Treasurer of the Club, Joseph Smith, had four years 

 before expressed his desire, on account of his health, to resign 

 his office, which he held for the long space of a quarter 

 of a century, but at the strongly expressed wish of the 

 members he had consented to continue his services. At 

 this Anniversary he addressed the company in words which 

 he himself inserted in the minute-book and which may be 

 quoted here : "I now make my bow, and in withdrawing 

 from office, request the Club to accept my sincere and grate- 

 ful thanks for the unvaried kindness and courtesy with 

 which I have ever been treated ; and I have the satisfaction 

 of being able to state that during the twenty-five years 

 in which I have been in office, not one single circumstance 

 has ever occurred to cast a shade over the pleasing retrospect 

 which I shall ever retain, while life remains, of my con- 

 nexion with the R.S. Club." Sir Benjamin Brodie moved 

 and Sir Roderick Murchison seconded an expression to 

 him of " their gratitude not only for the valuable services 

 which during the last twenty-five years he has rendered 

 them in his official capacity, but also for the kindness and 

 urbanity which he has displayed in his intercourse with 

 them on all occasions, and which have contributed so much 



