370 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



the greatest pleasui'e, and whicla it would be contrary to precedent to 

 discuss. 



Mr. Crisp, in seconding the mution, thought it would not be out 

 of place to point out, in reference to the President's remarks on the 

 benefits derived from wide apertures, that what promised to be 

 another very important advance in the construction of objectives had 

 just been made. Prof. Abbe had for a long time been trying to 

 obtain an optical glass which would get rid of the secondary spectrum, 

 and he had recently succeeded in doing this. The secondary spec- 

 trum -was eliminated, and nothing was now left but a small tertiary 

 spectrum. He hoped that before long they would be able to judge of 

 some objectives for themselves. The Fellows had already cordially 

 approved the announcement that the President had consented to 

 accept office for a third year, and they were aware how regularly he 

 attended the meetings, though at considerable effort to himself; 

 he therefore proposed to add to Prof. Stewart's motion that their 

 thanks be also given to the President for accepting the office for a 

 further period. 



The motion was then put to the meeting, and carried unanimously. 



The President said he was much gratified by the very cordial 

 manner in which his address and this vote of thanks had been 

 received. He could only repeat what he had said before, that he had 

 given for many years the whole of his leisure time, and some which 

 had not been quite leisure also, to studies of this kind. He loved 

 the work, and should always feel it to have been a very great honour 

 to have held the position he did in connection with a Society which 

 made the use of the Microscope its primary object. 



The President moved a vote of thanks to the Auditors and Scruti- 

 neers for their services, and 



Dr. Millar having seconded the motion, it was carried unanimously. 



New Fellows : — The following were elected Ordinary Fellows : — 

 Messrs. John Christie, A. N. Disney, M.A., Julio Gardia, W. H. 

 Weightman, and E. R. Whitehead. 



PtEPOPtT OF THE COUNCIL FOE 1885. 



Fellows. — During the year 1885, 53 new Fellows were elected, a 

 number in excess of the average of recent years ; 25 Fellows have 

 died or resigned (2 compounders, and 23 annual subscribers); 3 

 Honorary Fellows have also died. 



The deaths of the year, unfortunately, include the names of three 

 of the leading authors of works on the Microscope in the English, 

 French, and German languages. The President has already ex- 

 pressed the sense of the Society at the loss which microscopy has 

 sustained in the death of the author of ' The Microscope and its 



