Annual Meeting. 5 



manures, and from that time up to his death he was continually- 

 endeavouring to infuse a spirit of science into the agriculture 

 of the North of Ireland. They who knew him best in his 

 latter days deplored the loss of a valued friend, whose genial 

 conversation and sage experience made intercourse with him 

 peculiarly valuable and pleasant. He was undoubtedly one of 

 the best types of the fine old Irish gentleman. 



Mr. James Thompson did not latterly take a very prominent 

 part in the working of the Society, but he belonged to a family 

 which gave to Belfast one of the most eninent men of whom 

 the city could boast, namely, the late Mr. William Thompson. 

 As to Captain Campbell, he (the President) had known 

 him from boyhood, and a finer or braver fellow never trod 

 the quarter-deck of a British ship. It could be wished that 

 many more of their seafaring men would use their opportunities 

 abroad in collecting rare specimens for that Museum. 



Those were the sad points referred to in the report, but there 

 was a bright side, and it might be summed up in a single 

 sentence, that the Society continued to do good and useful work 

 for the objects for which it was instituted. It had had a busy and 

 useful year. Many of its members had taken a lively interest 

 in its work, and he could only express the hope that as the old 

 members passed away new ones might be found to come in to 

 fill their places, so that the Society might be continued, not 

 only in unimpaired, but, if possible, increased efficiency, and 

 handed down to future generations of Belfast men as they had 

 received it from the Belfast of long ago. 



Mr. R. L. Patterson, in seconding, mentioned that at a town 

 meetmg on Wednesday last it was decided to invite the British 

 Association to meet in Belfast in 1902 — that would be fifty 

 years after their first meeting in 1852. On that occasion that 

 society took a leading part in the issuing of invitations, while 

 many of its members took an active part in the reception of 

 that distinguished body both mdividually and collectively. He 

 had no doubt that, as he hoped and expected the association 

 would accept the invitation, the present members of the society 



