1882.J 



President's Address. 



311 



In the course of last year the Treasury made known to the Society 

 that in consequence of Sir Wyville Thomson's ill health, their Lord- 

 ships proposed that his chief assistant, Mr. Murray, should under- 

 take the general editorship of the Reports of the "Challenger" 

 Expedition; so that Sir Wyville might devote himself more exclu- 

 sively to the personal narrative. At the request of their Lordships 

 a small Committee, with whom Mr. Murray might consult from time 

 to time, was appointed, consisting of the President and Officers, Sir 

 Joseph Hooker and Professor Huxley ; but before the Committee 

 could meet the lamentable death of Sir Wyville Thomson occurred. 

 They met, however, shortly afterwards, and having added Professor 

 Moseley to their number, they received from Mr, Murray, who 

 attended, a detailed statement of the existing condition of the whole 

 arrangements connected with the Report. From this statement it 

 appeared that, in addition to the original estimate" of £20,000 given 

 by Sir Wyville Thomson, the work actually in progress and entrusted 

 to the several authors required a further sum of about £20,000, and 

 that if the series should be completed, by describing on the same scale 

 groups as yet unallotted, an additional expense of about £6,000 would 

 be entailed. In forwarding this statement to the Treasury, the 

 Committee stated that, in their opinion, Mr. Murray's estimates were 

 drawn up with great care and judgment, and that in view of the 

 remaining Reports being carried out on the same scale as those 

 already published, they were reasonable and sound. As to the cause 

 of the great discrepancy the Committee felt themselves unable to offer 

 any explanation ; the conduct of the whole business having been left 

 in Sir Wyville 1 s hands, without reference to the Society. They 

 further were of opinion that Mr. Murray might safely be entrusted, 

 under the control and supervision of the Committee, with the entire 

 future management of the undertaking. 



After some further correspondence it was suggested that Mr. 

 Murray should furnish the Committee with a statement of the ex- 

 isting condition of the Reports and their management, which should 

 form a starting point for the responsibility of the Committee ; and that 

 he should keep the Committee well informed from time to time of 

 the progress of the undertaking. These suggestions were cordially 

 accepted by their Lordships, and with the general statement which 

 Mr. Murray submitted in October, the special duties and responsi- 

 bilities of the Committee have begun. 



Since last year, three more volumes of the Report have been pub- 

 lished, making six in all. The new volumes form volumes iv and v 

 of the Zoology, and volume ii of the Narrative. The latter volume 

 comprises the magnetic results, the meteorological observations, the 

 report on the pressure errors of the thermometers, and the petrology 

 of St. Paul's rocks. Yol. i of this section, containing the narrative 



VOL. XXXIV. T 



