Report of Society's Meetings. 193 



Meeting held on 16th May. — G. H. Hawtayne, C.M.G., 

 C.M.Z.S., F.R.G.S., President, in the chair. 

 There were 1 1 members present. 



Elections. — Members: G. V. Hughes, W. B. Kerr, 

 and M. H. Simpson. 



Associate: Peter de Wever. 



The Treasurer laid over the annual list of members 

 who had not paid their subscriptions. Notices had been 

 duly sent to them, and as no answers had been received, 

 there was nothing left to be done except to strike their 

 names from the list of members. 



The President on behalf of the Board of Directors 

 reported that Mr. Quelch, the Curator of the Museum, 

 had applied for leave of absence. Three months' leave had 

 been granted, with permission to apply for an extension. 



The Secretary read a Report of the Commercial Com- 

 mittee as follows, which was duly taken for considera- 

 tion : — 



I have the honour to report to the Society that the Commercial 

 Committee have held five general meetings, and herewith 1 submit a 

 resume of the business that has occupied your Committee's attention. 



ist. "Cable Communication." — Mr. Vyle's paper on this subject, in 

 the June issue of Timehri (18S8), was (in accordance with the request 

 of the Committee of Correspondence) taken up and discussed, and 

 two letters from the Agent in this colony of the West India and Panama 

 Telegraph Company on this matter, were brought before this Committee. 



For general information it may be stated that Mr. Vyle advocates 

 a dirett Cable between Demerara and St. Vincent, Cape de Verdes, 

 connecting with the duplicate lines from Great Britain to Pernambuco, 

 now existing. The distance from British Guiana to Cape de Verdes is 

 about 2,000 knots, and the cost of laying the cable would be about 

 .£250,000 sterling. It is estimated that were this carried out, the cost 

 per word of messages would be about 7/6, a great difference from our 

 present rates, and telegraphically we should be as near London as we 

 are to Suddie. 



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