Report of Society's Meetings. 425 



No discussion took place on the two papers read at 

 the previous meeting — "^ Steam Ploughing" and "Our 

 Provision Supply." 



The meetinor then terminated. 



Meeting held Deer. 20th.— Mv. R, G. Duncan, F.R., 

 President in the chair. 



Members present ig. 



The Secretary laid over a communication from the 

 Government asking the opinion of the Society as to the 

 probability of there being any exhibits from the Colony 

 at the coming Exhibition of Photography at the Imperial 

 Institute^ which was referred to the Direftors for their 

 consideration. 



The President then addressed the meeting as follows : — 

 president's valedictory address. 



Gentlemen, a year has passed away, since you conferred on 

 me the esteemed honour of eleftlng me President of this Society, 

 and it is my duty to-day, before vacating the President's chair, to 

 refer briefly to matters of interest in connexion with the proceedings 

 of the Society during the year now drawing to a close. I consider the 

 Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society the most important 

 Society in British Guiana— a society which, if it fulfils the objeft 

 for which it was founded, ought to leave some footprints on the 

 sandTs of time, in conneftion with the history of the progress and 

 development of this Colony. But unfortunately a great lack of interest 

 is displayed on the part of those most deeply concerned, viz., the 

 Agricultural and Commercial community. During the current year 

 many papers have been read on Agricultural subjedts, but those mem- 

 bers of the Society who are connefled with agriculture have been 

 conspicuous by their absence from the meetings. This is a terrible 

 Colony for allowing things to '* drift ;" you will observe that any stir 

 made in matters agricultural, commercial, or political, is at the instance 

 of one or two individuals, the majority of those interested waiting to 

 reap the benefits of the success, or to criticize freely the results of a failure 

 The same thing applies more or less to every community, but it is 



