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Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



we have lost Professor Guthrie, the occupant of a chair which a great 

 many years ago I held for a time ; a man whose genial character 

 drew around him a close circle of friends. Still more recently we 

 have lost the Earl of Enniskillen, whose fine paleeontological collec- 

 tions are well known to geologists. Only the other day one passed 

 away whom we seldom missed at our anniversary meeting, and who 

 was frequently with us on other occasions : I allude to General 

 Boileau, whose philanthropic labours will not soon be forgotten, and 

 may, I trust, be recognised in a much needed form. 



The Fellows will have noticed with satisfaction a very considerable 

 excess of income over expenditure in the balance sheet for the year. 

 At first sight it might be supposed that as the ' Transactions ' come 

 out at irregular intervals there might have been fewer parts published 

 than usual ; but it will be found on examination that the past year 

 has borne its proper share of printing expenses. The excess is really 

 due to a substantial improvement in the Society's property, under 

 the careful and judicious management of our Treasurer. 



Last year our President informed the Fellows of the munificent 

 offer made to the Society by Sir William Armstrong to give to the 

 Scientific Relief Fund the sum of 6,500Z., provided an equal sum were 

 raised within a year by subscription from the Fellows, and if need be, 

 other friends of science who might not belong to the Society. As the 

 Fellows are aware, a circular was sent round by the Treasurer men- 

 tioning Sir William Armstrong's generous offer, and inviting sub- 

 scriptions ; and the Treasurer has also written privately to a number 

 of persons, Fellows, and others. The sum subscribed or promised in 

 response to this invitation amounts to about 4,200Z. ; and though the 

 sum thus raised does not amount to what Sir William promised to 

 duplicate if it could be raised, he has most generously not only 

 waived the non-fulfilment of the condition subject to which the 

 former offer was made, but has still further augmented it ; and he 

 now promises not only to duplicate the sum raised in answer to the 

 Treasurer's appeal, but to give the further sum of 3,6G0Z., thus 

 raising the capital from the present sum of about 8,000Z. to 20,000Z. 

 He will be ready to pay the whole sum of 7,800Z. as soon as the sub- 

 scriptions promised to the Treasurer have been collected. The only 

 condition attached to this princely gift is, that besides meeting the 

 ordinary objects for which the Fund was instituted, the Council 

 should feel themselves at liberty to apply a portion of the income 

 towards the remission of fees in cases of urgent necessity. 



The path of the total eclipse of the 9th of September last year, in 

 any place where it fell on land, was so remote from this country that 

 no expedition went out to observe it. It was visible in New Zealand, 

 and in anticipation of it our Eclipse Committee sent out a memo- 

 randum to the Colony indicating the points of special interest to look 



