for the year 187*3. xiii 



I would beg now to draw your attention to the work of 

 the Society during the past year. I cannot congratulate you 

 on the fulness of the harvest, although some very valuable 

 contributions have been received. 



The only immediate reward that usually falls to the lot ot 

 most workers in science, literature, and art, who come 

 forward at this and similar societies to describe or illustrate 

 the results of their labours and researches, is that credit and 

 admission of priority which may be secured to them by 

 prompt publication in the form of the Society's Transactions, 

 and dissemination to kindred societies in other parts of the 

 world. Papers consigned to the archives of a society in the 

 manuscript form, instead of being immediately printed and 

 distributed, partake too much of the nature of buried 

 treasure, for which the author receives no credit, and from 

 which the world derives no benefit. 



The long delay in the resumption of publication in this 

 Society may therefore partly account for a somewhat barren 

 session, but there have been doubtless other causes operating, 

 and it may be mentioned that if we look at the past 

 year's results in similar societies abroad, we see a like 

 barrenness, as compared with other years, which almost 

 warrants the belief that the vigour of such societies has its 

 undulations. 



The first meeting after our last Conversazione was held in 

 August, and at this and the several meetings held until the 

 18th November, the following papers were read : — 



" On the Extraction of Vegetable Oils with Bisulphide 



of Carbon," by Mr. Cosmo Newbery. 

 " On the Mechanical Assay of Quartz," by Mr. Foord. 

 " On a Method of Verifying a Ship's Position on a 



Coast," by Capt. Perry. 

 " On the Treatment of Criminals in Relation to 

 Science," by Mr. H. K. Rusden. 



