the ability to prepare interesting slides, with which they 

 might illustrate and thus add to the interest of their papers 

 and communications. 



Our worthy secretary, Mr. Edwards, evidently took the 

 matter to heart, and in the most generous manner presented 

 the Society with a lantern at our second meeting in March. 

 I feel that our special thanks are due to Mr. Edwards for 

 this timely kindness, and I hope sincerely that the possession 

 of such a lantern will be the means of extending the useful- 

 ness of the Society generally. 



Mr. Carrington has already given us an address on some 

 collecting grounds and the trees there, illustrated with beau- 

 tifully executed lantern-slides kindly prepared and lent by 

 Mr. Evans. I hope members will bear the lantern in mind, 

 and whenever they have a chance of obtaining or preparing 

 slides, will not fail to seize the opportunity and let us have 

 the benefit of them in due course. 



Our Library, under Mr. Turner's able care, has during 

 the year been considerably increased and enriched by many 

 valuable works, mostly acquired by presentation. Apparently 

 our Committee have not seen their way clear to vote any 

 special grant to this object during the past year. I feel our 

 Library cannot be made too complete, and to this end I 

 would remind any members and friends possessed of dupli- 

 cate copies, that they cannot dispose of them more bene- 

 ficially or usefully than by presenting them to our Library. 

 The more complete it is, the more it will be used and 

 appreciated. 



Our friend Mr. West, of Greenwich, still remains Curator 

 of our collections, as he was in 1883, when I first heard of 

 the Society, and as he has been ever since. 



I do not think our collections have grown with the Society 

 quite as much as they should have done. This is not due in 

 any way to laxity on the part of our Curator. With the 

 somewhat sparse material supplied to him he has done 

 wonders. No man can make bricks without straw, nor can 

 a curator work up a good collection unless our members will 

 each take a personal interest therein. I am sure the nume- 

 rous desiderata do not arise in any way from want of gene- 

 rosity on the part of our members, but rather from want of 

 thought ; but when we find so very few members making 

 donations to the collection during the year, I think you will 

 agree with me that it is time we were up and stirring. 



I have heard whispers of a probability of this Society 

 becoming the custodians of one of our old collections, unique 



