xii Presidents Address 



This result I must explain is mainly owing to the fact that 

 the present Government has liberally renewed the grant in 

 aid to the Royal Society which has been unfortunately 

 withheld for several years past. It should be remembered 

 that the only real objects of this Society are, the advance- 

 ment of knowledge in the colony, and the development of 

 its manufactures, industries, and resources ; and however 

 inadequately it maj^ fulfil these objects, its efforts are stead- 

 fastly and earnestly directed to that end. Relying on these 

 facts, we trust that the Government will for the future help 

 our endeavours, at least as far as the publication of our 

 Transactions is concerned. 



Before going to press with the accumulated proceedings of 

 the past sessions, your Council appointed a printing com- 

 mittee to revise the papers and communications, and decide 

 upon which to print in full, which in abstract, and which 

 should be merely noticed in order by the simple title ; for it 

 was found that many of the papers having reference to 

 matters of passing interest at the time of their reception, 

 possessed no longer their original value, while many others 

 were regarded as likely to be more valuable in abstract than 

 in full. The committee had a somewhat invidious task to 

 perform, but I believe it has done its work fairly, with due 

 attention to the interests of the Society as a body, and with 

 due consideration of the claims of the various authors. The 

 Council has authorised the illustration of papers by litho- 

 graphs, photographs, and woodcuts, wherever the subjects 

 have appeared to warrant that additional expenditure. 



The present intention is to continue publishing our trans- 

 actions up to date, and issue them in half-yearly or quarterly 

 parts, or even in sheets if found desirable. 



The state of publication is necessarily a reflex of our 

 financial condition, which is indeed now in a far more 

 satisfactory state than it has been for many years past. 



