PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 9 
mainly by leaving necessary matters undone, and it lived upon 
these savings of more energetic and prosperous days as long as 
they lasted, and as a consequence nearly died the ignominious 
death of a pauper. It is our duty to expend the funds entrusted 
to us wisely—certainly to the best of our ability—to promote the 
Society’s objects, without wasteful extravagance, neither should we 
wrap them up idly in a napkin. 
During the past year the Society’s house has been much im- 
proved by the alterations and additions to the front of the 
building. After defraying the cost of the improvements, some 
£168, the Council is still in a position to pay off another £100 
from the debt, so that the amount now owing upon the building 
is only £800. During the past year the special subscriptions to 
the building fund amounted to £35, and there remain promises to 
the extent of about £280, which were made in 1882 conditionally 
upon sufficient funds being obtained to clear off the debt; hence, 
if the members would at once subscribe another £250, we could, 
with the Government grant and entrance fees, entirely pay off 
the mortgage. Up to the present, out of our 492 members only about 
160 have subscribed to the building fund. Tf the majority of the 
remaining 340 were to give only one pound each the debt would 
be extinguished. I do not think this is asking too much, for we 
have probably but few members who cannot afford this amount. 
Closely connected with the question of funds is the fact that 
we ought to make efforts to publish our volume ourselves, and 
we shall hardly be in a position to do that until we are out of 
debt. We are deeply grateful to the Government for its assist- 
ance in this matter; but there is no doubt we suffer somewhat 
from the delay which necessarily arises in the appearance of the 
volume ; we cannot, however, expect our printing to take prece- 
dence over that for the Parliament and Public Departments of 
the Colony. 
= For the past three or four years fairly considerable sums, for 
us, have been expended upon the library ; special efforts have 
been made to render the collection of books as complete as 
