II, 8. H. BARRACLOUGH. 
visitors who, by their presence this evening and during the 
week, support us in our project of holding a more or less 
continuous conference, at which a large number of papers 
are read and discussed, as a substitute for the hitherto 
customary plan of a regular monthly meeting with one or 
two papers at each meeting. It must be left to subsequent 
events to show whether or not the innovation will suit the 
conditions of the Engineering Section, and overcome some 
difficulties which have beset us during the last two or 
three years. 
Although the Royal Society had its origin as far back as 
1821, it was not till 1891 that its Engineering Section was 
inaugurated with Mr. Cecil Darley, ™. inst.c.p, as its first 
Chairman, and Professor Warren, m. mst. c.z., aS its Honorary 
Secretary. The Section has thus already completed its 
twelfth year of activity, and in view of the large number of 
valuable papers it has published and the field it has offered 
for the discussion of professional and scientific engineering 
questions, there is probably no exaggeration in saying that 
it has already played an important part in the community 
and earned its right to public esteem. 
Our nominal roll of members at present stands at slightly 
over 100 names, and to these the notices and other printed 
matter bearing on the meetings have hitherto been posted 
month by month. It is to be regretted that a larger pro- 
portion of these members does not attend regularly. Ina 
community like our own, where the number of those 
engaged in professional and scientific pursuits is naturally 
small, the maintenance of institutions such as this in a 
state of efficiency, must inevitably call for a certain amount 
of sacrifice from the members. During the past couple of 
years the difficulty of obtaining a satisfactory attendance 
at the meetings has been more marked, and after a full 
discussion of the matter by the Section towards the end of 
