In the same year the system of offering the Society's medal and 

 a money prize of ,£25 for original researches was instituted. 

 Although the Society has not been able to award its medal for all 

 the thirty-six specified subjects, which have been announced from 

 time to time, there have been several original communications 

 of sufficient merit, and in cases where the papers have not come 

 up to the requisite standard, it is felt that much good has been 

 done by directing attention to certain specified matters requiring 

 investigation, and it is hoped that when the same subjects are 

 again offered, as they will be in due course, papers of sufficient 

 merit will be forthcoming, inasmuch as the subjects chosen, are, as 

 far as possible, such as are likely to be of interest and value 

 to the community. 



During the last twelve or thirteen years special attention has 

 been paid to the formation of a library of scientific periodicals, 

 and efforts have been made to obtain complete sets of the Journals 

 and Transactions of Scientific Societies and Institutions in other 

 parts of the world both by exchange and purchase ; on account 

 of the comprehensive character of this Society, it was felt that no 

 other institution in Sydney was so well fitted to do it, being 

 prepared, as it is, to take papers upon almost all brandies of 

 knowledge. Accordingly the Society has spared no effort to make 

 its library as complete as possible in this respect, and it has, 

 considering its limited means, spent large sums for this purposa 

 As a reward it has now probably one of the best collections of 

 scientific periodical literature in Australia. 



This of course, has not been done without some sacrifice, and 

 although it may justly be urged that the Society's library is but 

 poorly stocked with ordinary new books, this is a matter of less 

 importance, since new books usually become cheaper before they 

 become dearer, whereas to procure complete series becomes more 

 difficult and costly from year to year ; there are also several 

 libraries in Sydney at which the ordinary run of modern books 

 upon scientific subjects can be easily consulted by our members. 

 It may be said that in 1874 we had no hbrary, for the few books 



