608 PROCEEDINGS OF WASHINGTON MEETING. 



of Coluiubiaii University, who gave a short address of welcome; aud a brief 

 reply ou behalf of the Society was made by Vice-President Winchell. 

 The report of the Council was read by the Secretary as follows : 



EEPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



To the Fellows of the Geological Society of America : 



The Council presents the follow^ing report: The number of Fellows now 

 on the roll is 197, one having died since the last annual meeting. The 

 election of five additional Fellows is announced at this meeting, so that the 

 Society will begin 1891 with an enrollment of 202. 



The permanent fund, made up of commutations of annual dues, now 

 amounts to $1,800. The Treasurer reports a balance of $1,089 on Novem- 

 ber 30, the close of the fiscal year. 



On January 18, 1890, the Council appointed Mr. W J McGee -Editor of 

 the publications. He has supervised the issue of volume 1 of the Bulletin, 

 which contains 605 pages, with 13 plates aud 51 figures. The actual cost of 

 the volume is $1,665, and that of distribution is about $120; so that the 

 edition of 530 copies has cost somewhat less than $1 ,800. The issue of the first 

 part of volume 2 has been retarded by Mr. McGee's illness, but the matter 

 is passing through the press and the brochure will soon be ready for dis. 

 tribution. 



The edition of volume 1 consisted of only 530 copies, of which 30 went to 

 the authors. After the necessary reserve of 75 copies for exchange and 150 

 copies for future needs, there remain 74 copies which can be placed on sale 

 to Fellows at $4.35, an advance of 30 per cent, on the actual cost. A few 

 volumes have been broken by supplying parts lost in mail. The separate 

 parts of those volumes can be sold at a similar advance.' It has been 

 thought best to require persons not Fellows to pay not less than 50 per cent, 

 advance upon the original cost, aud in no case less than $10 per volume.* 



The Council desires to call the attention of Fellows to the matter of pub- 

 lication. Volume 2 of the Bulletin will equal volume 1 in importance, 

 and is likely to be much larger. The total income of the Society during 

 1891, making allowance for temporary defaults in payment of dues, will be 

 somewhat more than $2,000. The expense of administration will be not far 

 from $20.0, so that the amount available for publication will approximate 

 $1,800. It is evident that until the permanent fund reaches $10,000 authors 

 must be asked to bear a considerable part of the costs of plates, as the Society 

 can do little more at present than pay for publishing the text, unless the 

 Council resorts to an unpleasantly severe selection of papers for publication. 



The Council recommends that the Treasurer be authorized to pay all bills 

 for publication of the Bulletin, when certified to by the officer making the 

 expenditure. 



* These prices were subsequently modified by the Council. See this volume, p, x. 



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