XXX. 



Proceedings. [February 23rd, 1897. 



Ordinary Meeting, February 23rd, 1897. 



J. Cosmo Melvill, M.A., F.L.S., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The thanks of the members were voted to the donors of 

 the books upon the table. 



Dr. Pankhurst invited the attention of the Society to 

 the insufficient assistance rendered by the Patent Office to 

 inventors and to the public. He suggested that the Patent 

 Office should provide in respect of each order of invention : 

 in the first place, information as to the existing state of 

 knowledge ; next, a clear and full examination as to the 

 invention ; and finally, a comprehensive report of the result 

 .of the examination. 



There should be provision for putting on record, in the 

 Patent Office, these reports, which would mark the advance 

 of science along the lines of invention represented by the 

 patents applied for. 



As time goes on, these records would become valuable 

 material on which to found a history of scientific progress. 



Dr. Pankhurst thought that the Society might properly 

 make a representation, claiming that the Patent Office 

 should be so organised as to carry out this view, which he 

 thought would prove of great public utility. 



Mr. John JButterworth read a paper entitled: "Some 

 further investigation of Fossil Seeds of the genus 

 Lagenostoma (Williamson) from the Lower Coal 

 Measures, Oldham," which was communicated by Mr. 

 John Boyd. 



The paper is printed in full in the Memoirs. 



