1889.] 



President's Address. 



455 



Since the last anniversary twenty-four memoirs have been published 

 in the ' Philosophical Transactions,' containing a total of 753 pages 

 and 33 plates. Of the ' Proceedings ' twelve numbers have been 

 issued, containing 1062 pages and 6 plates. Dr. R. von Lendenfeld's 

 ' Monograph of the Horny Sponges,' mentioned in my last anniversary 

 address, has also been issued during the year in a quarto volume of 

 940 pages of text and 51 plates. 



The Fellows are aware that for a great many years the Royal 

 Society has devoted a part of its funds to the collection, preparation 

 for the press, and correction of the proofs of a Catalogue of Scientific 

 Papers. We have endeavoured to make the work as complete as 

 possible, and. to include scientific serials in all languages. The first 

 part, covering the period 1800 to 1863, is printed in six thick quarto 

 volumes, of which the last appeared in 1872. The decade 1864-1873 

 occupies two more volumes, of which the second was published in 

 1879. This work, in the preparation of which the Royal Society has 

 spent a large sum, is for the benefit of the whole civilized world, and 

 the sale of it could not be expected nearly to cover the cost of 

 printing, paper, and binding. On a representation to this effect 

 being made to Government, when the first part was ready for the 

 press, the Lords of the Treasury consented that it should be printed 

 at the public expense, the proceeds of the sale of the work, after 

 reserving a certain number of copies for presentation, being repaid to 

 the Treasury. In consideration of the large outlay involved in the 

 preparation, those Fellows of the Society who wished to purchase the 

 work could do so at about two-thirds of the cost to the general public. 

 A similar application to the Treasury with reference to the decade 

 1864-1873 met with a similar response, and we proceeded, as I 

 mentioned at the anniversary last year, with the preparation of the 

 manuscript for the next decade, 1874-1883, which was then nearly 

 ready. On making application towards the end of last year to the 

 Treasury for the printing of this decade, our request was not acceded 

 to. While declining, however, to continue any further the printing 

 of this great work, the sum of £1,000 was put in the Estimates, and 

 has since been voted by Parliament, to assist us in the publication, 

 and the copies of the work still remaining unsold have been handed 

 over to us. This has enabled us to conclude negotiations with 

 Messrs. Clay and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press for 

 the printing of the decade last mentioned, and at the same time to make 

 some provision towards the future continuation of the work, without, 

 as it may be hoped, encroaching to a greater extent than hitherto on 

 our own resources. 



The utility of the work would obviously be much increased if it 

 could be furnished with some sort of key enabling persons to find 

 what had been written on particular subjects. I am not without 



