xii President's Address 



Our financial position is on the whole satisfactory ; this, 

 however, is in a great measure due to the continuance of 

 the gi'ant voted to us by Parliament^ which you will 

 remember was withheld from the Society for several years, 

 when we were compelled to stop the publication of our 

 Transactions, which we should still be quite unable to con- 

 tinue without this aid. The loan we raised some years ago 

 by debentures, chiefly amongst our members, has now been 

 reduced to £315, and it is intended to reduce this still 

 further during the current year. 



It has been necessary to effect some repairs in the build- 

 ing, but the Council has not been in a position to undertake 

 the cementing of the exterior ; the grounds have been some- 

 what improved by the gTowth of the trees, and by the more 

 regular attention bestowed upon them. I cannot, however, 

 on the whole, congratulate you on the appearance of the 

 premises generally; for although both the building and 

 fencing are in a fair state of repair, there is much to be 

 hoped for aesthetically. In the original design of this 

 building a central haU surrounded by chambers for offices, 

 laboratories, and meeting-rooms, was provided for, and, in its 

 entirety, would have constituted a fine and handsome build- 

 ing. Unfortunately, however, the central hall only was 

 built, and has since stood alone in its solitary ugliness^ 

 while some years ago its interior was divided into several 

 chambers to meet the requirements of the Society, which 

 would no doubt have been better done by carrying out the 

 original design, had the Society's financial position admitted 

 of it. 



The Council has had the desirability of improving the 

 appearance of the exterior of the building continually before 

 it, and still nurses the hope that it will eventually be able to 

 carry out the original design, which contemplated the 

 domiciliation of other scientific bodies besides that of the 



