for the year 1878. xv 



bers of which this Society is composed in proportion to our 

 population, prosperity, and intelligence, several members of 

 your Council have from time to time suggested the desir- 

 ability of broadening its basis, and the Council has given 

 these suggestions earnest consideration. As you are aware, 

 our constitution provides that members shall pay two guineas 

 entrance fee and two guineas annual subscription, except in 

 the case of country members, where the annual subscription 

 is one guinea only. Now, it has been suggested that this 

 subscription is almost prohibitive to many of the young 

 men of our community whose tastes and education lead 

 them towards our ranks, and whose enrolment is much to 

 be desired ; and it became a serious question whether the 

 annual subscription should not be reduced. The Council, 

 however, ultimately decided to recommend the Society to 

 add to its constitution the power to admit associates at half 

 fees, whose privileges would, with a few exceptions, be equal 

 to those of members, and a committee has been appointed 

 to devise a scheme which will be laid before a special meet- 

 ing of the members. If such a course is adopted, I have 

 little doubt we shall soon have a very welcome addition to 

 our active members, and that we shall be able to resuscitate 

 several of the sections for which our constitution provides. 

 You may recollect that in former addresses I advocated a 

 pet idea of mine ; and although this has got no further than 

 it was at our last gathering of this kind, I do not intend to 

 abandon it, and hope, with your assistance, yet to see it 

 reahsed — I mean the occasional delivery in this hall of brief 

 and special lectures for the record or demonstration of new 

 interesting facts in physical and other sciences, by members 

 of the Society to members and their friends. 



This will, I think, place you in possession of the principal 

 facts in connection with the Society's affairs ; and I will now 

 briefly review the progress made by some of the public 

 departments and societies in Melbourne, whose aims are 



A 



