250 Report of the Meetings for 1895. 



Stannington ; Mr W. Weston, Alnwick ; Mr J. C. Hodgson, 

 Warkworth ; Mr J. M. Barr, Berwick; Mr R. Weddell, 

 Berwick ; Mr J. Stevenson, Berwick : Mr G. Fortune, Duns ; 

 Eev. W. Taylor, Whittingham ; Eev. E. Robert, Alnwick; 

 Mr J. Ferguson, Alnwick. 



ADDRESS BY THE RETIRING PRESIDENT. 

 PROPOSED RE-ORGANIZATION. 



The President, at the outset of his address, thanl^ed the 

 members of the Club for the distinguished honour they had 

 conferred, upon him twelve months ago, for the enthusiastic 

 support he had received during his year of office, and. for 

 the generous way in which they had acknowledged any 

 small efforts of his to advance interest in the Club. He 

 also was greatly indebted to Dr Hardy for his never failing 

 courtesy and counsel. He had attended all the meetings 

 held during the year ; the attendance at these had been 

 abnormally large, and at each he might say they had had 

 perfect weather. (Applause.) 



Looking back over the last 20 years, one found that the 

 membership of the Club had nearly doubled. When he 

 joined, in 1872, there were little over 200 members; now 

 the limit of 400 must be very nearly reached. With such 

 an increase, he questioned whether the real work of the 

 Club was greater or of more value than formerly. The 

 addition to the membership had produced no corresponding 

 change in their constitution. It would be generally admitted 

 that the most valuable information in natural science was 

 only to be obtained fiom those who lived and took 

 observations in the localities in which they resided. 



He suggested that some means should be devised whereby 

 more of these 400 members could be enlisted actively in the 

 cause of natural science, and the results obtained by their 

 observations compaunicated to the Club in a more complete 

 state. There was au opinion amongst some of the members 

 that some modification was desirable in their system, and the 

 present, he thought, was an opportune time for its considera- 

 tion, when they had amongst them one whose knowledge 

 and experience would be of the greatest value in any steps 

 that might be taken. He advocated the formation of sections 



