42 
tageous to the interests of the Society, and the advancement of Géo- 
logy. ‘They have to state, however, with regret, that Mr. Wood 
has been compelled, in consequence of ill health, to give in his re- 
signation, which they have felt it their duty to accept. For the 
great value of his services the Council refer to the Report of the 
Museum Committee. 
The Council have also great satisfaction in calling the attention 
of the Society to the state of the finances. The receipts of the last 
year have exceeded the expenditure by the sum of 440/. 2s. 2d.; but 
it should be observed that the largeness of this surplus is mainly 
owing to the fact, that no expenses have been incurred by the pub- 
lication of Transactions. 
In furtherance of the recommendation contained in the Auditors’ 
Report for 1833, that the Council should, from the surplus income of 
the Society, make such investments in the Government Funds as 
would create a capital equal to the amount of sums paid in lieu of 
annual contributions, they have to state that they have invested all 
the compositions received during the past year, amounting to the 
sum of 155/. 18s. 6d., and a further sum of 138/. lls. 6d. from the 
balance in the banker’s hands, making altogether the sum of 2941. 
10s. The value of the funded property of the Society is now about 
1790/., or within 15497. of the sums (83839/.) received from 106 
compounders, and exceeds by 836/. the sums received for composi- 
tions since the recommendation of the Auditors in 1833. 
The Council have resolved ‘‘ that the Wollaston Gold Medal and 
20/. be assigned to Professor Ehrenberg of Berlin for his researches 
and discoveries respecting Fossil Infusoria.” 
Report of the Committee appointed to examine and report on the state 
of the Museums and Library. 
Your Committee have to report that Mr. Wood, having been ap- 
pointed in May last Curator of the Museum, entered immediately 
upon the duties of his office. The result of his labours during the 
last eight months may be mentioned under the two following heads : 
first, the British; and secondly, the Fereign Collection. 
British Collection.—The Curator has been employed in completing 
the arrangement of the rocks and organiv remains belonging to for- 
mations ranging from the newest tertiary to the lias inclusive. To 
begin with the crag; it was stated in the Repcrt of the Museum 
Committee of last year, that Mr. Lonsdale had then for the first time 
set in order and named the suite of fossils of that formation which 
were in the possession of the Society, and that they then filled ten 
drawers. Mr. Wood finding this series very incomplete, has added 
to it most liberally from his private cabinet, and has by this means 
augmented the species of mollusca and corals from about 100, of 
which they before consisted, to no less than 400, besides inserting 
many specimens in a more perfect state, of species of which the So- 
ciety already possessed some individuals. Duplicates, moreover, of 
many species common to the upper and lower crag have been intro- 
duced for the sake of comparison ; and the localities of all Mr. Wood's 
