32 [Proc. B.N.F.C, 



of this object Professor Jukes, of the Irish Geological Survey, 

 was commissioned to lecture on geology in Belfast. Some of you 

 will probably remember these very profitable meetings, which 

 were held in the old Music Hall, May Street. Professor Jukes 

 succeeded in raising a considerable amount of interest in his 

 subject, and I presume that some here have not forgotten his 

 concluding meeting, which was held at the Cave Hill quarries, 

 and was attended by some 300 of his hearers. This was the 

 first scientific field meeting of Belfast people, and revealed a 

 hitherto unsuspected want. Thus the ground was prepared 

 for the coming man and for the advent of an organisation 

 which should combine the teaching of the lecture hall with 

 the practical application of its lessons by visits to choice 

 scenes where those abstract lessons could be tested in the con- 

 crete. A further forward movement was now made by the 

 formation of a local lecture committee, who succeeded in 

 arranging with the Science and Art Department for the 

 establishment of science classes in Belfast, which should be 

 followed by examinations and prizes. To the credit of the 

 Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society, it may 

 be stated that the sixteen members of this committee were all 

 active members of that organisation. What was wanted here 

 was an ' all-round man,' with ability to expound and enthu- 

 siasm to inspire, and this we obtained when the Department 

 sent us Mr. Tate to conduct our classes. The subjects taught 

 by him were geology, mineralogy, systematic botany, vege- 

 table physiology, zoology, animal physiology, and physical 

 geography, and the success attending his teaching was most 

 marked. At that time the Department had only classes in 

 eleven localities, and for answering in geology thirteen first 

 prizes were awarded as a result of the examinations in 1862. 

 Eleven of these came to Belfast, and of the eight medals 

 given we secured six. These details may seem unnecessarily 

 lengthy, but they lead up to Mr. Tate's influence on the birth 

 jf the Club. These classes in the Museum were continued 

 until the spring of 1864, but meantime (January, 1863) Mr. 

 W. T. Chew, a gentleman who has long since left Belfast, and 



