28o president's address. 



complete sets of the Transactions, I might for the purpose of 

 ready reference in the hbrary give some short detail of the 

 history of your Club. 



The parent of the Natural History Society was the Literary 

 and Philosophical Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. A section 

 of its members, desiring specially to devote themselves to the 

 study of Natural History, formed a separate and distinct 

 Society. From their Transactions it appears that their first 

 officers were appointed for the years 1 830-1 831 ; and in the 

 preface to the first volume of their Transactions, published in 

 1 83 1, will be found a short account of the reasons why a 

 distinct Society was formed. Two volumes of Transactions 

 were pubhshed. In a similar manner members of the Natural 

 History Society and others decided to form the Field Club. 

 Your regulations were framed 25th April, 1846, and will be 

 found in detail at the beginning of Volume I. of your Trans- 

 actions, published in 1850. These regulations were slightly 

 modified at the annual meeting held on April loth, 1862, and 

 will be found recorded at page 196, Volume V. of the Trans- 

 actions, published in 1863. The rules of your Club were 

 revised in 1864, and are printed in the 8th volume of the 

 joint Transactions for the years 1884-1889, page 357. These 

 regulations are now the authority by which your Society is 

 governed. 



The regulations appear very comprehensive and complete, 

 and though possibly some additions to them may be deemed 

 advisable to enlarge the scope of your operations, I feel 

 perfectly sure the principles embodied will never be materially 

 departed from. During the present year I have with great 

 pleasure observed an awakening interest in the proceedings 

 of your Club ; and if other Field Clubs (and these are 

 numerous) which have been formed could be induced t 

 amalgamate, I think it would tend to the benefit of all, an 

 would afford scope for the training of the younger naturalist 

 on a scale which hitherto has not been attempted, and woul 

 conduce to the advancement of that science in which we ar- 

 all so much interested. 



