8 



given the Society the free use of the room for meetings and 

 lectures. Up to the present time there has been no falling off 

 in the number of Visitors to the Museum. It is hardly 

 necessary for your Committee to say that all this has involved 

 a considerable outlay from the funds of the Society, in addition 

 to the aid granted by the Corporation, and they have, as the 

 members are mostly aware issued an appeal in the hope of 

 receiving contributions in aid of the formation of a Museum 

 Fund. They earnestly hope that the appeal will meet with a 

 response though as yet they have been disappointed at the 

 small amount subscribed. 



They would also remind the members that they would 

 confer a benefit on the Society by purchasing the publications 

 — a large stock of the Quarterly Journals, and the List of 

 Butterflies and Moths remaining on hand, thus causing 

 a serious deficiency in the funds. 



The Class formed last winter for instruction in Botany has 

 been resumed this session, and has been well attended. In 

 addition, another class has been formed for conversational 

 lectures in Geology, and this too musters a goodly number of 

 students. 



A Library in connection with the Society is in course of 

 formation, and your Committee will be happy to receive 

 donations towards it either in books or money. 



There is also kept at the Museum an album for the insertion 

 of notes on any occurrence in the neighbourhood which is 

 likely to prove of interest to the members of the Society. 



There is one circumstance, however, which your Committee 

 have great occasion to regret, and their feelings will 

 undoubtedly be shared by all the members — the departure 

 from Folkestone of the Rev. C. L. Acland, who has hitherto 

 been, they may almost say, the mainstay of the Society. It is 

 mainly through his endeavours that the Society has become 

 so flourishing, and that the Museum has been placed in its 

 present state, and they greatly fear that a long time will elapse 

 before the vacancy caused by his departure can be filled. 



The Balance Sheet of the Treasurer for the year 1870 is 

 before you, from which it will be seen that for the first time in 

 the history of the Society there is a deficit ; the full extent of this 

 however does not appear, as there are several outstanding 

 accounts. — (See p. 6.) 



