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Institution, and moreover an act of justice to those who contribute 
to its Transactions, that the papers communicated to them, and 
that the Proceedings at the Meetings, should be issued to the 
Members and to the public in an authentic form as soon as possible. 
In the case of every form of discovery and invention this is but 
fair to the author, in an age when the delay of a few months may 
transfer to another the credit really due to himself; and, in regard 
to subjects still open to discussion, it is highly desirable that there 
shall be an interval between the publication of the arguments on 
one side of a case, and the next Meeting of the Society, long 
enough to allow those holding different views to prepare a 
deliberate statement on the other side. Impressed with these 
reasons for the speedy issue of the publications of the Institution, 
and bound at the same time to avoid material additions to their 
cost, the Council would recommend that the experiment be tried 
of issuing the Journal which will contain the papers presented at 
the Spring Meeting and its Proceedings, about August or Sep- 
tember, and the Report of the Council, with the matters of business 
transacted at the Annual Meeting, together with the Meteorological 
and other serial returns, as soon as possible after the beginning of 
each year. This scheme does not involve the necessity of any 
increase in the bulk of our printings; entailing only a trifling 
outlay for postage and extra covers. The printing of the next 
number of the Journal is so nearly completed that, with your 
sanction, it will be issued within afew weeks. Its contents will 
fully maintain the credit gained by the Institution from the pre- 
ceding numbers, among which the last ranks high. We are again 
indebted to our late President, Mr. Henwood, for making our 
Society the medium of conveying to the public the results of the 
researches of a laborious lifetime in fields with which it may be 
safely asserted that he is better acquainted than any other man. 
The Archeological Institute of Great Britain having fixed on 
Exeter as its centre of Meeting this year, it was considered 
advisable to regard the Excursions arranged by it as sufficient and 
attractive substitutes for the pleasant picnics carried out for some 
years past under the auspices of this Institution; and which, it is 
hoped, may be hereafter resumed. 
The Meteorological Observations have been recorded, discussed, 
and transmitted to Mr. Glaisher for the public service, by Mr. 
Newcombe, with his accustomed accuracy. A series of special 
observations has been conducted by some of your Members, and 
is still in progress, with the purpose of ascertaining the effects of 
shelter on surface temperature,—a matter of practical as well as 
scientific interest, having a direct bearing on the security of our 
early vegetables. 
