86 THE PRESIDENT'S ADORESS^. 



But tlie commercial difficulties of the past two years;, and thegener^ 

 depression in the monetary affairs of the Proi^ince, sufficiently accoant 

 for these pleasant anticipations not having heen realized ; and the 

 Council have doubtless e:sercised a vrise discretion in refraining from 

 any attempts to force on the erection of the building under eircum^ 

 stances which might perhaps have (Sccaisionfid gerious embarrassmemt tO' 

 the Institute. 



I may De permitted, however, to express the hope, that with the 

 improvement in the financial condition of the country, which I trust 

 we are justified in anticipating, the means at our disposal will also be 

 so far increased as to allow of our setting about the work in earnest. 

 We should bear in mind that one of the principal objects which the 

 founders of this Society proposed to themselves, was " the formation 

 (Of a museum for collections of models and drawings of machines and 

 (.constructions, new inventions snd improvements, geological, mineralo- 

 .gical, and zoological specimens, and whatever may be calculated, either 

 as natural productions or specimens of art, to promote the purposes of 

 ficience and the general interests of society." I need scarcely say that 

 the very limited accommodation afforded us by our present rooms al- 

 most forbids anything like a satisfactory arrangement of the specimens 

 and models we already possess, and is certainly a very serious hin- 

 drance to the enlargement and extension of our collections. 



But although we cannot as yet point to spacious halls and handsome 

 lecture rooms as material evidences of the Society's prosperity, we can 

 with confidence refer to these sure tests of its growth and vigor, the 

 number and character of the original papers and communications read 

 at our weekly meetings, as well as of those which have appeared from 

 time to time in the pages of the Journal of the Institute. 



In congratulating you, however, as I justly may, on these evidences 

 of the general progress and satisfactory condition of the Institute, I 

 would at the same time avail myself of this opportunity to urge upon 

 the attention of the members of the Society at large the complaint 

 which has so repeatedly been made by former Councils, and which 

 has been reiterated again in the Report submitted at our last annual 

 meeting— ^that it is still a matter of regret that so large a share of the 

 business of the Institute, so far as regards the contributions to the 

 Journal, should continue to fall upon a few individuals. To the con- 

 ductors of the Journal the members of this Society are under very 

 large obligations. The high character which it has obtained under the 



