attendance. In this the Committee were disappointed, for the 

 longer excursions generally commanded the best attendance ; and 

 the Committee regret that the Club's funds sustained considerable 

 loss whenever the actual attendance fell short of what was reason- 

 ably expected and prepared for. Separate accounts of the 

 excursions are appended. 



Prior to opening the Winter Session, the Council of the Natural 

 History and Philosophical Society expressed a desire to discontinue 

 the holding of joint meetings, as arranged the previous year. Your 

 Committee at once fell in with the suggestion, and an arrangement 

 was made by which each Society, by holding separate meetings, 

 should better preserve its individuality without disturbing those 

 friendly relations that happily exist between the two Societies, and 

 which it is desirable to maintain for the advantage of each. 



Under the new arrangement, six meetings of the Club were held, 

 at which the following papers were read : — 



1871. 



Nov. 22nd. — " An Inquiry into the possibility and probability of the Occur- 

 rence of Coal in the Neighbourhood of Belfast," by Mr. 

 William Gray. 



Dec. 13th. —"The Geology of Cultra, Co. Down," by Mr. Joseph Wright, 

 F.G.S. ; and "A Day with the Oyster Dredgers," by Mr. 

 1872. S. A. Stewart. 



Jan. 10th. — "The Stone Period and Race," by Rev. Wm. M'Uwaine, D.D. 



Feb. 7th. — "Remarks on Cometary Bodies," by Mr. Martin M. M 'Minn ; 

 and " Giants' Graves," by Mr. J. S. Holden, M.D., F.G.S. 



March 6th. — A Microscopic Exhibition wa5 held. 



April 10th. — "The Round Towers, and Early Irish Churches," by Mr. F. 

 W. Lockwood. 



Abstracts of the Papers read are appended. 



At all these meetings the attendance was more than the average 

 of past years. 



Nothing of special interest has been added to the Club's Sketch 

 Book during the year ; but it continues open for the reception of 

 such Drawings, Sketches, Measurements, or Photographs as may 

 help to illustrate the Archaeology of the district, or any other de- 

 partment of the Club's investigations. 



