“ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 5 
expressed his sincere hope that the Society would be more 
successful under its new name than it had been under its former 
designation. He had regularly attended the monthly meetings of 
the Society for some time after his arrival in the Colony. He 
observed, however, as time went on that the attendance became 
‘small by degrees and beautifully less,’ until on one occasion that 
he had come there to preside, he found himself the only person 
present to hear a paper which some gentleman was there to read. 
He believed that Professor Smith was sent for, and formed with him 
the sole audience. After that he had rather held back, being under 
the impression that vice-regal patronage was not quite so beneficial 
to the Society as could be wished.” 
Sir John Young was succeeded in the presidency by the Earl 
of Belmore, who took the Chair two or three times at monthly 
meetings, and since then we have not been favoured with the 
vice-regal countenance. 
T have stated that in the first year of the Philosophical Society 
about 130 new members were admitted. In the second year there 
were only thirty-nine; while in the third the number dwindled down 
to seven. After that there i t for twoyears, but 
in 1861 the number again dropped to aie: and in 1863 only one new 
member joined. In each of the following years nine joined, and 
lastly in 1866 (the transitional year) only one. 
Not only did new members fail to come in, but the old dropped 
steadily off, as shown by the decreasing amounts paid as annual 
Subscriptions. In the first year the income of the Society was 
£316, in addition to the £88 brought over from the old Society. 
In the second year the income was £205; in the third, £106 ; 
after which it kept higher for a few years, till in 1863 it dropped 
to £88, and in the last year of the Society (1866) it reached its 
lowest depth at £43, If the expenditure of the early years had 
not been very moderate, so that a surplus was preserved for bad 
times, the Society must have died of inanition. Indeed, it fre- 
quently became a question whether it was worth while continuing 
