42 Annual Meeting. 



generally available for public use under proper conditions. He 

 was not certain if their Society had the power to dispose of those 

 collections. That would be a matter which would have to be 

 inquired into. The subject did not at present come before them, 

 but he simply repeated that for his part he would deeply regret the 

 coming of the time when the Society either ceased to exist or 

 ceased to perform the various important functions which for so 

 long a period it had discharged so well. The Report showed that 

 during the past session the work of the Society was carried on with 

 its usual vigour and he thought he might say its usual success. He 

 had the pleasure of being present at some of the meetings at which 

 there were discussed subjects of all kinds in connection with various 

 branches of science so as to cater for the different aptitudes and 

 likings of the inhabitants of the city — a very proper and important 

 arrangement and he knew of the success which attended them. In 

 his opinion a good deal of the success of last year's working was 

 due to the labour of their excellent President. Professor Symington 

 was one of the busiest men in Belfast, but in his case they had an 

 illustration of the well known fact that if they wanted anything 

 done they had better go to a busy man to get it accomplished. 

 He had given himself to the work of that Society with extreme 

 ardour and much success. An ardent votary of science himself, it 

 was his pleasure to see not only the particular branch with which 

 his name was associated, but all branches furthered and advanced in 

 the city. There was only one feature in the Annual Report which 

 caused them all the deepest regret. He referred to the announce- 

 ment of the deaths of two of their oldest members — Mr. John 

 Anderson and Sir Robert Lloyd Patterson. Both of them had 

 been long connected with that institution, and both of them took 

 a deep interest in its affairs. He had not the pleasure of being 

 intimately acquainted with Mr. Anderson, though he knew well 

 how greatly indebted various literary and scientific organizations in 

 Belfast were to him. But it was his privilege for many years to be 

 on intimate terms of friendship with the late Sir Robert Lloyd 

 Patterson, and on personal grounds as well as for the sake of the 



