xii President's Address 



Each session the Society passes through has of late years 

 added substantially to its position and vitality. The 

 number of our members has increased, our sessions have 

 been busy, and there has been increased interest both 

 among our members and the public generally in our pro- 

 ceedings. The financial position, aided each year by the 

 annual grant from Parliament to assist in the publication of 

 our Transactions, is satisfactory. The small debt we had to 

 incur in renovating our house is nearly all paid off. I 

 think, therefore, I am justified in congratulating you on a 

 year's sound progress, and upon the present good prospects 

 of the Society. 



The large increase to our library, and the necessity, in con- 

 sequence, of increased accommodation for the books, has 

 occupied the attention of the Council, and will have to be 

 dealt with without further delay. 



The system of printing our Transactions directly after 

 the meetings in pamphlet form for immediate circulation is 

 found to work well ; and not only is it convenient to the 

 members, but it induces scientific men throughout Australia, 

 in order to get prompt publication of their discoveries or 

 investigations, to contribute the results of their researches 

 to our Society. 



I have usually on these occasions given a brief account of 

 the year's progress and work of our several colonial science 

 and art institutions ; and although there is nothing of 

 unusual importance to lay before you on this occasion, it 

 may still be of some interest to know what has been doing 

 in them. 



First, then, I will refer to our Observatory, at which the 

 usual routine investigations in astronomy, meteorology, 

 terrestrial magnetism, and allied branches of physics have 

 been carried on uninterruptedly. 



The results of the last ten years' work in meridian 

 astronomy are now being prepared for publication, forming 

 the second Ten Year Catalogue of stars ; and the results of 



