22nd February, igoy. 



Sir Otto Jaffe, President, in the Chair. 



OFFER OF THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTIONS TO THE 

 BELFAST CORPORATION. 



Special meeting of the members of the Belfast Natural History 

 and Philosophical Society held in the Museum, College Square 

 North. About thirty members were present, and apologies were 

 read from Sir James Henderson, D.L., and Mr. James Moore. 



Mr. J. Brown wrote regretting that business in England pre- 

 vented his attendance at the meeting. He again expressed his 

 sorrow if there were not among themselves sufficient interest in 

 the Society and its objects to wish to keep what was, he presumed, 

 the finest and most valuable private collection in the country. 



He regretted that there seemed to be no one to take the 

 moderate amount of trouble commonly found necessary in all 

 such societies in order to keep them alive at all. The Field Club 

 employed such means, and was a living and working Society. 

 There was plenty of money in Belfast for such purposes, as they 

 had found already. 



He doubted if the city wanted the collections, and thought it 

 would be much more dignified and self-respecting not to throw 

 them at the Corporation's head. 



On the proposal of Sir Otto Jaffe, seconded by President 

 Hamilton, the following resolution, after full discussion, was 

 passed : — 



" It being considered desirable that in the interests of the 

 public the Corporation of the City of Belfast should become 

 custodians of the specimens in the Museum of the Belfast Natural 

 History and Philosophical Society, the said Society is prepared to 

 grant this on the following conditions : — 



