1880.1 



President's Address. 



17 



Although, we are more concerned with the quality than with the 

 quantity of communications made to the Society, it may not be with- 

 out interest to observe that the number of papers received this year 

 has been in excess of that in any previous year, at all events since 

 1872, inclusive. The following is a table of the numbers during the 

 last nine years : — 



1872 

 1873 

 1874 

 1875 

 1876 

 1877 

 1878 

 1879 

 1880 



99 papers received. 



92 



98 



88 

 113 



97 

 110 

 118 

 123 



and we may conclude that these have contained good matter from the 

 fact that of the " Philosophical Transactions " for the current year, 

 Parts 1 and 2, already published, contain no less than 900 pages and 

 33 plates. We have reason to hope that the volume will be completed 

 very early in 1881. 



Of the "Proceedings," volume 29 was completed in February, and 

 volume 30 in August last. 



In my address last year, I suggested that the hour of our weekly 

 meetings might, perhaps, with advantage, be changed from the 

 evening to the afternoon, That suggestion was approved by the 

 Council, and by their direction a circular was addressed to all the 

 Fellows of the Society, inviting an expression of opinion upon the 

 question. Those of the Fellows who, living at a distance, are unable 

 to attend our meetings, mostly abstained from making a reply. 

 But in the answers actually received, the preponderance of opinion 

 was so strongly in favour of the change, that the Council took 

 the necessary steps for altering the statute by which the hour 

 of meeting was formerly fixed. Notice of the alteration was sent 

 to all the Fellows. The regulation of the hour of meeting is now 

 in the hands of the President and Council. The attendance at our 

 meetings has certainly not diminished since the change, and some 

 of our Fellows, to whom the evening hour was inconvenient, have 

 become constant attendants. 



The Council now usually meet at 2.0 p.m., instead of 3.0 p.m., 

 in order to be ready for the meeting of the Society at 4.30 p.m. ; and 

 I am happy to add that it has not yet been found necessary to call the 

 Council or the Committee of Papers together on any other than the 

 usual days. 



In the permanent staff of the Society no change has taken place. 



