H 



ciety, and a most liberal contributor to its collections. Pro- 

 fessor Stevelly joined in 1824; William T. Harvey and Surgeon 

 M'Gee in 1825 ; Robert James Tennent and S. K. Mulholland 

 in 1826 ; James Bryce and John Thomson in 1827 ; Dr. Mac- 

 Cormac and Robert S. MacAdam in 1828. The Marquises of 

 Donegall and Downshire became members in 1830 ; Mr. Grat- 

 tan in 183 1 ; Dr. Andrews in 1835 ; and Mr. Gordon Thomson, 

 of whom I may speak as I did of Sir James Emerson Tennent, 

 in 1837. Mr. William Thompson, certainly one of the most 

 distinguished men we ever numbered among our ranks, joined 

 the society in 1825. He was then in his twenty-first year; 

 and it is not long till we find him at his favourite subject, 

 as in 1827 he read a paper on "The Birds of the Copeland 

 Islands." 



The society made rapid progress in popularity and member- 

 ship. Early in 1829, the first mention of any project for a 

 building appears in its records, although, from the way the 

 subject is then mentioned, it is evident it had been under con- 

 sideration previously. Thus I find on 17th January of that 

 year a resolution was passed declining, with thanks, an offer 

 from " the managers of the Savings Bank respecting the in- 

 tended building," and further resolved : — " That Dr. Drum- 

 mond, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Getty, Mr. Hyndman, and Mr. Pat- 

 terson be appointed a committee to consider a prospectus to 

 be prepared for opening a subscription towards a building for 

 the purposes of the society." The matter appears again in the 

 minutes of a meeting on 4th February, when mention is made 

 of some negotiations with Mr. Adam M'Clean about a piece of 

 ground in Queen Street. The question crops up again at the 

 next meeting, on nth February, 1829, when four out of the 

 five gentlemen just named " were appointed to have the pros- 

 pectus finally arranged," and on 21st February Mr. Getty read 

 a prospectus, which was approved of and ordered to be printed." 

 This prospectus, the subject of so much anxious consideration, 

 was thereupon launched. It bears date 25th February 1829, 

 and to it are appended the names of James L. Drummond, M.D. 

 as president, and George C. Hyndman, as secretary, Dr. Drum- 



