﻿PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS, 1888. 



Gentlemen, 



There is an old adage that time and tide wait for 

 no man ; and this is my experience. Finding myself at the 

 termination of another year, I feel that I must in the first 

 place tender you my warmest gratitude, for your kind and 

 indulgent forbearance to me during the last twelve months. 

 It has been impossible for me through circumstances over 

 which I had no control, to attend your meetings with the 

 regularity I could have wished. I have to thank my colleagues 

 for their careful attention to the affairs of the Society, and 

 especially the Secretary and Vice-Presidents, who have been 

 good enough to conduct the meetings during my enforced 

 absence. We may, I think, fairly congratulate ourselves that 

 the Society continues to make steady progress, and that it 

 is not only in a very vigorous and healthy condition, but 

 also more prosperous than at any previous period of its 

 existence. Although we have lost some two or three mem- 

 bers from varied causes, we have elected 55 new ones to take 

 their place, and our membership now stands at 200. This is, 

 I think, a source of great satisfaction to us all. But we must 

 not be content to rest upon our laurels. Our motto must be 

 large reinforcements and fresh importations ; and is it too 

 much to expect that the energy of this large body of 

 members, if fully aroused, will make up a permanent addition 

 of another hundred by our next Annual Meeting .-• I will be 

 sanguine enough to hope so, and I trust that no effort will be 

 spared to make this the case. 



You have just heard from the very excellent report read by 

 our Secretary, that the Finances of the Society are also on a 

 sound basis, and compare most favourably with any previous 

 balance sheet of this Society. But if this highly favourable state 

 of affairs is to continue, I would plead on behalf of our honorary 

 and indefatigable Treasurer, that members would not let their 

 subscriptions run into arrears of two or three years, as he 



