118 Professor Kewtons Address. [Oct. 31, 



Professor Newton on leaving the chair made the following 

 remarks : 



On laying down the office by which I have been honoured for 

 the past two years I hope you will allow me to say a few words. 

 At our last Annual General Meeting I ventured to direct the 

 attention of the Society to three subjects which seemed to be 

 especially worthy of its consideration, and to these I would again 

 refer. There was first an alteration in our hour of meeting. The 

 suggestion I then threw out was favourably received by the 

 Society, and I think no one regrets the change, which was in 

 consequence made; while I know that to the officers and Council 

 it has proved a matter of great convenience. There was next the 

 question of the removal of our Library. This also met with the 

 approval of the Society, and what is more with that of the Uni- 

 versity at large. I have to tender my sincere thanks to all who 

 have aided me in the somewhat protracted negotiations that were 

 necessary for carrying out a scheme which I believe will be most 

 beneficial to the progress of the scientific studies of the University, 

 and I am bound to add that our proposals have throughout been 

 met in a most liberal spirit by the Senate. The joint Committee 

 appointed by the Council of the Society and by the Museums and 

 Lecture "Rooms Syndicate to manage the 'Cambridge Philosophical 

 Library ' on Friday last agreed to the set of Rules a copy of which 

 I now place on the table, and I have the pleasure of announcing 

 that the Library is not only open, but in working order. I hope 

 it will be admitted that in framing these Pules, the representatives 

 of the Society have duly cared for the interests of its Fellows, 

 and that the inconveniences to which they will at times be sub- 

 jected, through the room being occasionally required for exami- 

 nations, will in practice prove to be but slight, and more than 

 compensated by the advantage of our books being rendered far 

 more accessible than they were before, and being placed under 

 the direct charge of a Library-clerk. In this connexion I must 

 mention the name of one of our Secretaries, Mr J." W. Clark, 

 whose services in the very considerable operations of removing, 

 rearranging and recataloguing our books have been unremitting, 

 and the Council by passing a special vote of thanks to him on 

 that account has endeavoured to acknowledge the obligation under 

 which the Society — 1 may say the University — lies. Thirdly I 

 have to refer to the recovery and restoration to its proper place of 

 the Society's lost Charter, which it was my agreeable duty to lay 

 before you at our meeting on the 21st of March. 



I have now only once more to express my gratitude to the 

 Council and all the Fellows of the Society — but especially to its 

 officers — for the able and kind assistance they have rendered me 



