SESSION 1864-65. 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, Friday Evening, November 4, 18G4. 



Royal Irish Academy House, Dawson-street. 



William Andrews, M.E. I. A., President, in the Chair. 



The minutes of the preceding General Meeting, heing the last of the 

 previous Session, were read and confirmed. 



The ballot for Officers and Council for the coming Session was then 

 opened. 



The Eeport from the outgoing Council was read as follows : — 



" On relinquishing the trust for the bygone year confided to it, 

 your Council begs to offer the following Report : — 



" During the year eight new ordinary members and four corre- 

 sponding members have been added to the list on the books at this time 

 last year. On the other hand, exactly to estimate the number by which 

 the list would have to be diminished would not, at the present moment, 

 be practicable. Your Council believes that the majority of the mem- 

 bers of the former University Natural Science Association, which as 

 reported last year became united with this Society, will have been 

 found to have remained attached to it. A few have signified their in- 

 tention not to remain. There are, besides, however, yet a few whose 

 adherence remains doubtful, and who have not attended the meetings. 

 But in regard to these the test will be, how the application of the Trea- 

 surer for the subscriptions for 1863-4 will have been met. Therefore 

 an enumeration of the actually existent members of the Society would 

 be as yet somewhat premature. But, should any of such few members 

 of the former University Natural Science Association have determined 

 not to remain members of this Society (and the remark applies with 

 equal, if not greater force to a few of the original members of the 

 latter), your Council thinks that it is surely unfair on their part pas- 

 sively to receive month after month the notices of the meetings, and 

 not to signify to the Secretaries their intention to discontinue member- 

 ship, thus putting the Society to the unnecessary expense of postage, 

 and the Secretaries to uncalled-for trouble. Your Council regrets much 

 to have lately received the resignation of so distinguished a naturalist 

 as Mr. Halliday, which arises from his having permanently taken up 

 his residence abroad. But it is pleasing to know that, if so experienced 

 and so original a naturalist does not labour here, yet does he labour 

 elsewhere, and doubtless will continue to enrich Science by his re- 

 searches in his favourite department of entomology ; for catholic Sci- 

 ence is equally advanced no matter what the country in which the 

 earnest student dwells. 



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