Reports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 181 



During 1898 the number of Fellows elected was 52 : of these 

 41 qualified before the end of the year, making with 17 previously 

 elected Fellows, a total accession of 58 in the course of the 

 twelvemonth. During the same period, the losses by death, resig- 

 nation, and removal amounted to 52, the actual increase in the 

 number of Fellows being 6. 



The total number of Fellows, Foreign Members, and Foreign 

 Correspondents, which on December 31st, 1897, was 1,333, stood 

 at 1,339 by the end of 1898. 



The balance-sheet for the year 1898 showed receipts to the 

 amount of £3,575 7s. 'id. (including a balance of £723 3s. Od. 

 brought forward from the previous year), and an expenditure of 

 £2,199 6s. 5d., the balance remaining available for the current 

 year being £1,076 Os. 8d. 



The Secretary of H.M. Office of Works having announced that 

 the Department proposed to lay down a new system of drainage in 

 connection with the Society's apartments, the Council had pointed 

 out the need for improved lavatory accommodation. This the Office 

 of Works consented to provide, on condition that the Society shall 

 contribute the sum of £200 towards the cost thereof — a proposal 

 which the Council advised the Fellows to accept. 



It was announced that the MS. of the Third Volume of Hutton's 

 " Theory of the Earth," edited by Sir Archibald Geikie, is now in 

 the press, and that it is proposed to print a number not exceeding 

 500 copies. 



The completion of vol. liv and the commencement of vol. Iv 

 of the Society's Quarterly Journal was mentioned, and attention 

 was called to the fact that in this and future years the Record of 

 Geological Literature added to the Society's Library will be issued 

 concurrently with the May number of the Journal. Eeference was 

 also made to the issue of Index Slips with each number. 



The new system adopted during the past year with regard to the 

 selection of papers for publication in the Quarterly Journal was 

 explained, and the awards of the various medals and proceeds of 

 donation funds in the gift of the Council were announced. 



The report of the Librarj'^ and Museum Committee enumerated 

 the large additions made to the Society's Library during the past 

 year, and announced the approaching completion by Mr. C. Davies 

 Sherborn of the work of labelling and registering the type- and 

 other interesting specimens in the Museum. 



The reports having been adopted, the President presented the 

 Wollaston Medal to Professor Charles Lapworth, LL.D., F.R.S., 

 addressing him as follows : — Professor Lapworth, — 



On four occasions has the Council of this Society already delighted to do you 

 honour, with the Murchison Fund in 1878, -with the Lyell Fund in 1882 and 1884, 

 and with the Bigsby Medal in 1887. Our Funds are usually awarded with the 

 desire of helping observers and of stimulating them to further efforts, and from this 

 point of view the Funds awarded to you have certainly been most profitable invest- 

 ments. Nor could the Bigsby Medal, with its age-limit, have been better bestowed 

 than on one who had done so much and such good work before reaching the age 

 of 45. 



