﻿1874.] 
  

  

  President's 
  Address. 
  

  

  51 
  

  

  we 
  hope 
  to 
  retain 
  undisturbed 
  occupation 
  for 
  some 
  generations 
  to 
  come, 
  

   an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  in 
  respect 
  of 
  our 
  more 
  

   important 
  possessions, 
  foundations, 
  and 
  functions, 
  and 
  our 
  relations 
  to 
  

   the 
  Government, 
  would 
  not 
  only 
  be 
  generally 
  acceptable, 
  but 
  might 
  even 
  

   be 
  required 
  of 
  me 
  by 
  that 
  large 
  and 
  increasing 
  class 
  of 
  Fellows 
  who 
  live 
  

   far 
  from 
  our 
  doors. 
  This 
  class 
  now 
  numbers 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  one 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  Society, 
  few 
  of 
  whom 
  can 
  be 
  even 
  occasional 
  attendants 
  at 
  our 
  

   Meetings 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  to 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  absentees 
  be 
  added 
  the 
  large 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  residents 
  within 
  the 
  metropolitan 
  district 
  whose 
  avocations 
  prevent 
  

   their 
  attending, 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  surprise 
  you 
  to 
  hear 
  that 
  (as 
  I 
  have 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  careful 
  inquiry) 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  our 
  fellow 
  Members 
  

   know 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  Society's 
  proceedings 
  beyond 
  what 
  appears 
  in 
  our 
  perio- 
  

   dical 
  publications, 
  nor 
  of 
  our 
  collections, 
  nor 
  of 
  the 
  tenure 
  under 
  which 
  we 
  

   occupy 
  our 
  apartments 
  under 
  the 
  Crown 
  — 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  have 
  never 
  heard 
  

   of 
  the 
  funds 
  we 
  administer, 
  whether 
  our 
  own 
  or 
  those 
  voted 
  by 
  Parlia- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  aid 
  of 
  scientific 
  research, 
  nor 
  of 
  the 
  fund 
  for 
  relief 
  of 
  the 
  ne- 
  

   cessitous, 
  nor 
  of 
  the 
  gratuitous 
  services 
  rendered 
  by 
  the 
  Society 
  to 
  

   various 
  departments 
  of 
  the 
  Government. 
  

  

  Unlike 
  the 
  great 
  Academies 
  of 
  the 
  continent, 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society 
  has 
  

   never 
  published 
  an 
  Almanack 
  or 
  Annuaire 
  containing 
  information 
  upon 
  

   its 
  privileges, 
  duties, 
  constitution, 
  and 
  management. 
  Particulars 
  on 
  

   these 
  points 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  now 
  accessible 
  to 
  the 
  Fellows 
  only 
  

   by 
  direct 
  inquiry, 
  or 
  through 
  the 
  Council 
  Minutes 
  ; 
  and 
  these, 
  to 
  non- 
  

   resident 
  Fellows, 
  are 
  practically 
  inaccessible. 
  In 
  my 
  own 
  case, 
  though 
  

   I 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  a 
  resident 
  Fellow 
  and 
  had 
  the 
  honour 
  of 
  serving 
  on 
  

   your 
  Councils 
  for 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  years, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  I 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  

   the 
  position 
  I 
  now 
  hold 
  that 
  I 
  became 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  mag- 
  

   nitude 
  of 
  the 
  Society's 
  duties, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  responsibility 
  these 
  impose 
  

   on 
  your 
  officers. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  upwards 
  of 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  since 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  foun- 
  

   dations 
  that 
  then 
  existed 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  the 
  Society 
  then 
  carried 
  on 
  

   was 
  published 
  in 
  Weld's 
  valuable, 
  but 
  too 
  diffuse, 
  ' 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  

   Society.' 
  These 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  greatly 
  modified 
  or 
  extended 
  since 
  that 
  

   period 
  ; 
  and 
  many 
  others 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  them 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  time 
  has 
  

   now 
  arrived 
  when 
  a 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  funds 
  applicable 
  to 
  scientific 
  

   research 
  which 
  the 
  Society 
  distributes, 
  the 
  conditions 
  under 
  which 
  these 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  for, 
  and 
  other 
  particulars, 
  might 
  with 
  advantage 
  be 
  

   published 
  in 
  a 
  summary 
  form 
  and 
  distributed 
  to 
  the 
  Fellows 
  annually. 
  

  

  Finance. 
  — 
  After 
  the 
  financial 
  statement 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Auditors, 
  you 
  

   will, 
  I 
  am 
  sure 
  conclude 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  cause 
  for 
  apprehension 
  in 
  respect 
  

   of 
  the 
  Society's 
  funds 
  or 
  income 
  ; 
  and 
  when 
  to 
  this 
  I 
  add 
  that 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   penses 
  of 
  removal 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  House, 
  including 
  new 
  furniture, 
  amount 
  

   to 
  .£1300, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  Transactions 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  

   will 
  contain 
  eighty-six 
  Plates, 
  the 
  largest 
  number 
  hitherto 
  executed 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  e 
  2 
  

  

  