1889.] President's Address. 3 



may operate as a charm to bring our members together, and pro- 

 mote the ends we have in view. 



There is another matter to which I would briefly allude — our 

 Library. The importance of having a central scientific Library 

 in these buildings, in addition to departmental libraries, has long 

 been recognised in principle; and I cannot but think that when 

 the practical usefulness of it becomes more widely known, members 

 of the University will gladly support it by becoming Fellows 

 of the Society. At present the number of students who use it 

 steadily increases ; but I am sorry to say that the power of the 

 Society to support it is diminishing. In this year it became 

 necessary to ask the Museums and Lecture Rooms Syndicate to 

 defray the cost of certain periodicals which had heretofore been 

 borne by the Society. This the Syndicate agreed to do ; but I 

 would remark that, while they fully recognise the value of the 

 Library, and are willing to spend money liberally upon it, the 

 funds at their disposal are by no means large, having regard to 

 what they have to do with them. Meanwhile the Library is 

 deficient in numerous works which are being continually asked 

 for, and which neither the Society nor the Syndicate are rich 

 enough to purchase. 



The smallness of our funds operates to our disadvantage in 

 another way — we are unable to illustrate our publications as fully 

 as is desirable. You will, I am sure, give credit to those in charge 

 of our Proceedings for the pains they bestow upon them, and for 

 the praiseworthy rapidity with which they are circulated. A 

 number of the Proceedings completing Vol. vi. is now on the 

 table ; and a part of the Transactions, completing Vol. xiv. is 

 now ready. 



I beg to return my most cordial thanks to the Council and the 

 officers of the Society for the assistance they have rendered to 

 me personally; and I am sure that you will recognise the admirable 

 zeal with which they have discharged their duties to the Society. 

 The Treasurer, Mr Glazebrook, should be specially congratulated 

 on the success which has attended his efforts to obtain payment 

 of arrears of subscriptions due to the Society. 



Lastly, it is my duty to record the names of those Fellows of 

 the Society whom we have lost by death during the past year. I 

 will take them in the order of seniority. 



The Rev. Richard Okes, D.D., Provost of King's College. 



The Rev. Benjamin Hall Kennedy, D.D., Regius Professor of 

 Greek. 



William Henry Drosier, M.D., Fellow of Gonville and Caius 

 College. 



The Rev. Churchill Babington, D.D., formerly Fellow of St 

 John's College. 



1—2 



