xii President's Address 



thanking the members for their confidence, and of assuring 

 them of my high appreciation of the trust, and of the 

 duties and penalties attached thereto. 



Since we met together on a similar occasion in August 

 last, our Society has entered upon its twenty -first session 

 and year of existence ; and a brief account of its doings since 

 that date, as well as of its present position and prospects, 

 first claims our attention. 



The painful duty here devolves on me to record the loss 

 by death of two of our members — Mr. W. M. Cooke and Mr. 

 Fred. C. Klemm. Since the conversazione in August last, 

 the Society has held ten ordinary meetings, at which papers 

 were read, exhibits made, and scientific subjects discussed. 

 Your Council has also met regularly, and has had long and 

 earnest deliberations on numerous matters concerning the 

 weKare of the Society, some of which I shall presently ' 

 especially refer to. The original discussions that have 

 occupied the members at the ordinary meetings are as 

 follow : — " On new Marine Mollusca," by Rev. J. E. Tenison 

 Woods, S.J., F.G.S. ; " Notes on Japan," by F. C. Christy, 

 C.E.; " On the Probability that a Connection Exists between 

 the Attraction of Gravitation and the Molecular Energy of 

 Matter," by A. Sutherland, M.A.; " On the Comparative 

 Power of some Disinfectants," by Dr. Jamieson ; " On 

 Palaeozoic Actinology," by Robert Etheridge, F.G.S.; " On 

 the Ratio of the Length and Height of Sea Waves," by S^ 

 R. Deverell ; " Photographs on the Retina," by Dr. Jamie- 

 son ; '' Experiments in Gold Bullion Assay," by A. M. Smith; 

 " On a New Self-registering Rain Gauge," by R. L. J. 

 EUery,F.R.S.,F.R.A.S.; "On the Strength of Iron Columns," 

 by W. C. Kernot, C.E.; " On a Point of Resemblance in the 

 Respiration of Plants and Animals," by Dr. Jamieson. 

 These have all been printed, and copies in a pamphlet form 

 have been distributed among the members. In addition to 

 these papers, there have been numerous brief notes, oral 



