ANNUAL REPORT. 5 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, 



February 20, 1880. 

 Henry Ciieton Sorbt, Esq., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



Eepoet of the Council foe 1879. 



In presenting their Eeport for the year 1879, the Council of the 

 Geological Society regret that, probably owing mainly to the con- 

 tinuance of that commercial depression to which they adverted in 

 their last E-eport, they have to announce to the Fellows that the 

 Society has not regained that material prosperity which it enjoyed 

 during several preceding years. 



The number of new Fellows elected during the year is the same 

 as in 1878, namely 55, of whom, however, only 40 paid their fees 

 before the end of the year, making, with 5 previously elected Fellows 

 who paid their fees in 1879, a total accession during the year of only 

 45 Fellows. On the other hand we have the loss by death of 29, 

 and by resignation of 15 Fellows, whilst 3 Fellows were removed 

 from the list for non-payment of contributions, making a total loss 

 of 47 Fellows. Thus, on the year, there is an actual decrease of 

 2 Fellows. But as, of the 29 Fellows deceased, 6 were compounders, 

 and 14 non-contributing Fellows, the number of contributing Fellows 

 is increased by 5, being now 744. 



The total number of Fellows and Foreign Members and Corre- 

 spondents was 1416 at the end of the year 1878, and 1415 at the 

 end of the year 1879. 



During the year 1879 intelligence was received of the death of 

 5 Foreign Members ; and 3 of the vacancies thus caused, with the 2 

 existing at the end of 1878, were fiUed up in the course of the year, 

 leaving at its close 2 vacancies in the list of Foreign Members. The 

 5 vacancies thus produced in the list of Foreign Correspondents, and 

 that existing at the close of 1878, were all filled up during the year. 



The continuance, and indeed partial aggravation of the unfavour- 

 able conditions referred to in the last Eeport of the Council, mani- 

 fested in the numerical statements already given, shows itself very 

 clearly in its effect on the financial position of the Society. The total 

 Eeceipts for the year 1879 (exclusive of Mr. Ellis's legacy of .£1000) 

 were only £2466 bs. Id., but still .£45 6s. bd. more than the esti- 

 mated Income for the year. The total Expenditure, on the other 

 hand, was .£2527 25. M., or £28 15s. 2d, below the estimate for the 



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