SOME LINES OF PROGRESS. 
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE 
R. A. & C. Soctery—January 26, 1911. 
Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,—It is usual for the incoming Presi- 
dent to deliver an inaugural address. This isa custom which, if it were possible, 
I should prefer to honour in the breach rather chan in the observance owing 
to the pressure of the recent Criminal Session combined with other work. If, 
therefore, my paper produces any brood at all in the shape of ideas they will be 
rather like those of Dr. Johnson’s conversation ; that is to say, without a rag 
to cover them. I think the Society cannot sufficiently express its thanks to 
the outgoing President (Mr. T. A. Pope, B A., the respected Head of Queen’s 
College) who stepped into the breach at what appeared to be the lowest ebb of the 
Society's fortunes and carried on the work during the past year. Only those who 
wee more intimately concerned with the work of the revival of the Society can 
fully appreciate how much 1: owed to his continued activity and interest, and to 
his successful application of the swaviter in modo and the fortiter in re to what 
appeared to be a hopeless situation. 
THe YEAR REVIEWED. 
During the year the Society shared the grief of the whole civilised world at the 
death of King Edward VII., the greatest English Sove eign since the first of his 
hame. Our expression of sorrow was conveyed in an address illuminated by 
Lieutenant Carroll. An enlarged photograph of this address hangs at the entrance 
to the Reading Room as a more or less permanent record of a remarkable and 
beautiful work of art, the labour of love of a very busy man. It was conveyed to 
the proper quarter by the Hon. B. Howell Jones, and His present Majesty 
acknowledged it in a gracious letter. He has since been pleased to accept the 
responsibility of patronage, following the example of King Edward and of 
Queen Victoria. 
In my opinion the Society can look back upon the year’s work with satisfaction 
and can look forward to the coming year with hope and cheerfulness. We begin 
the session with nearly five hundred members, associates, and lady subscribers. 
Of these about 130 joined ourranks during the past six months, many of them 
being representative in a special degree of the agricultural and commercial inter- 
ests. We lost many associates with the opening of the Free Library, but they 
are beginning to return. To the efficient Librarian of that Institution, Miss 
Murray, we owe our thanks for co-operation, advice and assistance at all times. 
She recognises that there is no necessary rivalry of her useful institution with our 
larger scheme, and that they serve kindred but not identical purposes of public 
utility. 
Our finances are in a sound condition and we have no debt or deficit. With the 
subscriptions from the increased membership much can be done to effect improve- 
ments and to place the Society ona proper working basis. We have at last obtained 
