Annual Meeting. 99 



New Members. 

 Some sixty new members have joined the Society, either 

 during the year or for the coming session. The Council wishes 

 to thank Mr. Thomas Edens Osborne for his efforts in bringing 

 into the Society, under the new subscription scheme, a number of 

 townsmen having interests in science, art or literature. 



Deaths. 



The Council has to record, with regret, the death of four 

 members : Mr. Blakiston-Houston, D.L., of Orangefield, formerly 

 Member of Parliament for North Down, on February 27th, 1920, 

 at the age of 90 years ; Mr. Hectoi- MacColl, who died on April 

 22nd, 1920 ; Mr. W. H. McLaughlin, D.L., J.P., of Macedon, 

 who died on July 18th last ; and Sir John Byers, a past 

 President (1908-1911) of the Society, who died as recently as 

 September 20th last. Sir John took a warm interest in all that 

 pertained to its welfai'c. He delivered six lectures before your 

 Society, dealing with Ulster dialects and folk-lore. His first 

 lecture was given in 1903, and his last in 1918. 



Irish Mss. 



A grant of £15 Os. Od. has been paid to Miss Madelaine 

 Dempsey for cataloguing the Irish MSS. in the possession of the 

 Society. The manuscripts referred to were deposited on loan on 

 18th December last, in the Reference Department of the Central 

 Public Library, where they have been much utilised by students. 



Archaeological Section. 



The Archaeological Section, which is now entering its fourth 

 year of existence, under the chairmanship of Sir Charles Brett, 

 continues to justify its formation. Extensive excavations were 

 made during the summer at the Mound at DoAvnpatrick, and in 

 Rathkeltchar, and a report of these investigations will be read by 



