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But it would ill become me not to pay the tribute of honour 

 to whom it is more especially due, I allude to your Exhibition 

 Committee, viz., Messrs. Adkin, Barker, Briggs, Carrington, 

 Step, and Yardley, to whose assiduous and indefatigable ex- 

 ertions I have no hesitation in saying you are indebted for the 

 very great success obtained. Your Council on this occasion 

 thought that, as the previous Exhibitions had been so very 

 crowded, it would be as well to give a two days' Exhibition 

 instead of one, as had been our previous custom, making a 

 nominal charge (to cover expenses) for the first day's view, 

 to enable students, who were anxious to examine the different 

 objects of interest, to do so without encountering the un- 

 avoidable crush arising from the public view. Desirable as 

 the idea seemed, it was only a partial success, for the great 

 interest of the public was self-evident, from the rooms being 

 crowded the whole time. Another innovation was also in- 

 troduced with very good effect, showing that when help is 

 necessary our members know how to do their duty. These 

 exhibitions, as we all know, cannot possibly be held without 

 a very considerable outlay, which our Honorary Treasurer 

 very properly looks upon with a suspicious eye ; and although 

 there are amongst us many generous friends who have from 

 time to time come to our assistance, it would not be wise to 

 ride the free horse to death, so a Guarantee Fund was started, 

 which was promptly and most nobly responded to by the 

 members, considerably over £^o being promised if needed. 

 But thanks to my friend Mr. Adkin's very capital idea (the 

 private view at a nominal charge), the whole cost of the 

 Exhibition was defrayed and a small balance left in hand 

 without one shilling being asked for from the guarantors. 

 It gives me very great pleasure, on behalf of my colleagues, 

 to thank most heartily those kind friends who so admirably 

 responded to the call for help, for while we have such members 

 among us there need be no apprehension that the Society's 

 Annual Exhibition will be a failure. Our very best thanks 

 are not only due to our own members, but also to our very 

 numerous friends of other and kindred societies, who held 

 out the right hand of fellowship to us, by assisting with the 

 loan of varied and valuable exhibits ; to the South London 

 Microscopical Society we are especially indebted, not only 



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