Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



With the exception of the last-named Sub- Committee, viz., that 

 upon Tidal Waves, of which the work has been delayed by the illness 

 of Sir F. Evans, all the reports are now in a forward state, aud there 

 seems to be every prospect of the work being concluded in the course 

 -of a very few months. 



The question of the proper administration of the funds adminis- 

 tered on behalf of the Government by the representatives of the 

 Royal Society and of other scientific bodies, who constitute the 

 Government Grant Committee, has frequently been debated with 

 much care by the President and Council, who are held responsible for 

 the final assignment of the grant by the Government. 



On the 20th of May last the Council determined, once again, to 

 devote special attention to the subject, and on the 25th June the 

 minutes will inform you that the following resolutions were passed : — 



" That in every case of renewed application for a personal grant, 

 after such grant has been received by the applicant in two consecutive 

 years, the application be made not less than three months before it is 

 to be considered, accompanied by a full statement of the case from 

 the applicant, and that before being presented to the Committee, it be 

 referred by the Council to two referees, who shall report to the 

 Council on its merits." 



"That the Secretaries be instructed to return to the applicants for 

 aid from the Government Grant such applications as do not in all 

 particulars comply with the conditions laid down in the circular to 

 applicants." 



It is very desirable that our intention to enforce the latter resolu- 

 tion strictly should be widely promulgated. I may add that we have 

 considerable reason to complain that too frequently those who have ob- 

 tained grants through the Committee make no report of the work done 

 to the Society, but leave information on that head to reach Us as it 

 may through the publications in which the results obtained by the 

 grantees are made known. 



Nineteen large royal quarto volumes of the Official Reports on the 

 Scientific Results of the "Challenger" Expedition have now been issued 

 from the press. These contain thirty-seven zoological, three botanical, 

 and eight physical and chemical reports, together with the narrative 

 of the voyage, which contains the general scientific results of the 

 expedition. Six more volumes are now passing through the press, a 

 considerable part of each being already printed off. The work con- 

 nected with the remaining memoirs is in a forward state. The whole 

 of the investigations and the manuscript will be completed during the 

 next financial year, and in the course of the year 1887 the whole of 



