493 ‘TIMEURI. 
The President then gave the following vale 
address :— 
Some months ago I was required to deliver an in- 
augural address as the newly-elected President of the 
R. A. & C. Society, and now I am about to say a 
few words on the occasion of the termination of my 
period of service as President of this Society. 
During the year I regret to say that our number has 
somewhat diminished. I have not been able to ascertain 
in what class of members the decrease has occurred, but 
there isa lossof six members. This is less than one would 
have expected, having regard to the depression which 
marked the year. Amongst the losses we have that of 
Mr. Henry Kirke, an ordinary member. We have not 
wholly lost Mr. Kirke, however, as he has become an 
honorary member. The losses due to death are few. 
We have first of all Mr. H. H. Cunningham, who for sev- 
eral years was a member of the Correspondence Com- 
mittee, and each year took a deep interest in the Horti- 
cultural Show. In faét, he was one of the first members 
to suggest that we should have a class in the Exhibition 
devoted to artizans and labourers exhibits, and that 
department always commanded his greatest interest. We 
have also lost Dr. J. R. Hill, Messrs. J. A. Hill, and T. 
W. Phillips. 
But little interest appears to have been taken in the 
meetings of the Society during the year, and the absence 
of the more prominent members of the Agricultural and 
Commercial sections of the Society has been noticeable 
at the majority of the meetings, I cannot hide from 
myself that this apparent lack of interest on their part 
has probably been due to the unfortunate sele€tion of a 
rte cee 
