II 



ance ; the cost is the only obstacle. It may be hoped that 

 the increasing interest which is likely to be taken in the 

 Science in the near future may render such an advance 

 financially possible. 



From 1872 to 1899 the Society was housed in Great 

 George Street, Westminster, first at No. 30, afterwards at 

 No. 22. When these buildings were taken over by the 

 Government to make way for the erection of new Public 

 Offices, the Society moved to their present home at 

 70, Victoria Street, where they occupy a commodious flat 

 on the second floor, which, while fairly convenient to their 

 general needs, has become inadequate for the growing 

 demands of the Library, which will probably necessitate 

 removal to larger quarters at no very distant date. 



The Library is a valuable one, containing some 25,000 

 books and pamphlets and a considerable number of MSS. 

 It includes a number of rare early books, many of which 

 were collected by the late Mr. G. J. Symons. 



By 1880 the number of Fellows had reached 500 and in 

 recent years has exceeded 700. Naturally the war has led 

 to a certain number of withdrawals, some of which may be 

 only temporary, but, thanks to the interest which war 

 conditions have aroused in the Science, there have been 

 many elections, so that on the whole the Fellowship has been 

 well maintained. Though the publication of recent meteor- 

 ological information has come under the ban of the Censor, 

 and the withdrawal of weather reports and forecasts from 

 the Daily Press has removed the interest in the subject from 

 the public eye, the great importance of the Science to our 

 fighting forces has been fully established, and a large staff 

 has been employed in discussing the climatology of the 

 various theatres of war, in preparing forecasts for many 

 parts of the globe at all hours of the day and night, and in 

 studying the conditions of the upper air for the benefit of 

 our Air Forces. Meteorology has, in fact, come into it? 

 own, and this must result in a largely increased interest in 

 the Science when peace once more returns. The extension 

 of the Fellowship which it is hoped will then result will 

 render possible a largely increased work and ^usefulness on 

 the part of the Society. 



Death has laid a heavy hold on the senior Fellows in recent 

 years and in a period of barely 18 months no less than five 

 ex-Presidents of the Society, in addition to Mr. Marriott, 

 have passed away. These included Sir J. K. Laughton, 

 Dr. Robert H. Scott, F.R.S., for many years Director of the 



