4 Annual Meeting. 



this Report. Especial reference should be made to the acquisi- 

 tion, on permanent loan, of the io-ton trial armour-plate, from 

 her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth, procured by the kind in- 

 fluence of Sir James P. Corry, Bart., M.P., from the Admiralty, 

 and which now forms a striking object at the Museum entrance. 

 It was formally unveiled by the Mayor on 17th April, and a full 

 report of the proceedings was duly published in the newspapers. 

 The Council desire in this connection to thank the local Press for 

 the admirable manner in which the lectures of the Society are 

 reported. Amongst the donations to the Society may be men- 

 tioned the valuable series of early volumes of the Belfast News- 

 Letter, presented by the kindness of the Misses Mackay, Fort- 

 william ; Rev. W. F. Johnston's additions to the Society's col- 

 lections of Irish coleoptera, which he also kindly re arranged ; 

 and Captain Robert Campbell's interesting gifts. The Council 

 desire to thank the various donors for their kindness in present- 

 ing so many valuable objects to the Museum. 



" Your Council now retire from office, and this meeting will 

 be asked to select fifteen members to form a new Council." 



The Hon. Treasurer presented the Financial Statement, 

 which showed that the Society at the end of the year had a 

 balance in their favour of ^"8 13s. 1 id., which was a great im- 

 provement on their position of the previous year, considering 

 that there was then a balance on the wrong side of between £1$ 

 and ^"16. The income this year was less, but it is highly 

 satisfactory to know that the receipts at the door had increased. 

 The subscriptions were encouraging, whilst the success of the 

 lectures was a remarkably encouraging feature in connection 

 with the Association. He (Mr. Brown) trusted that the year 

 upon which they had now entered would be even more pros- 

 perous than the last, and he believed he could see a way to re- 

 duce the expenditure. 



The President said he might perhaps be allowed to make a 

 few remarks on the Report before its adoption was finally moved. 

 He thought they had good reason to be satisfied with the year's 

 work, and with the position and prospects of the Society. They 



