206 THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



opportunity of moving in that direction may be afforded by the 

 approaching Jubilee of the Eoyal Polytechnic Society. 



Those excursions, which have now become annual events, were 

 I believe the means of inf usiug new life into our Society at a time 

 of something like stagnation, and have been found greatly to 

 conduce to the interest it awakens, and to its usefulness. And 

 this is natural, especially as regards its relations to all material 

 objects of interest in the county. For the interest awakened by 

 seeing an object must always be greater than can be afforded by 

 the description of it ; the manifestation of that interest is calcu- 

 lated to encourage the careful preservation of the objects them- 

 selves ; while the visits of the society to different parts of the 

 county tend to its recognition as the centre of information upon 

 he subjects of which it takes cognizance. I hope therefore that 

 the usual excursion will be repeated this year and that it may 

 be so timed as to be also of some advantage to the Eoyal Poly- 

 technic Society. 



One word more, and I have done. Is there no way in which 

 the journals of this, aye, and of other societies also, may be made 

 more available as a work of general reference ? Each volume 

 has, I know, its index, and each number its table of contents ; 

 but these have already multiplied to such an extent as to render 

 reference very difficult. A Catalogue Raisonne, which might in 

 itself be a most interesting volume, would add greatly to the value 

 of all the previous publications. In conclusion, I can only ex- 

 press a hope that during the next two years I may be able to do 

 more to further the interests of the Institution than it has been 

 possible for me to do hitherto. 



