the Microscopical Society. 85 
The President delivered the following Address : — 
Gentlemen, — I have much pleasure in again congratu- 
lating you on the state of our finances ; for, although the 
balance in hand is only twelve pounds more than that of last 
year, yet we have been enabled to pursue our usual course of 
investing the compositions received from life-members, and 
have thus increased our funded property from 210Z. 55. lid. 
to 259/. 45. Id. It is the opinion of some who have had ex- 
perience in these matters, that a society which judiciously 
expends its yearly income is in a more healthy condition than 
one which hoards a large portion of it, and that therefore we 
ought carefully to avoid becoming rich. Until, however, our 
dividends form a much larger proportion of our annual assets 
than they do at present, we need entertain no fears on this 
head ; while the possession of a reserve fund to fall back upon 
in case of need cannot be regarded as an evil. 
By the arrangement which has been made with the editors 
for the supply of the ' Microscopical Journal ' gratuitously to 
all our members, and by the prompt publication of our trans- 
actions, which have been brought down to the end of the year, 
a steady increase both of members and papers may be reason- 
ably expected ; of which I trust the experience of the past 
year is but the commencement. Twenty-eight new members 
have been elected, and twelve papers, many of them of con- 
siderable interest, have been read. 
That of Professor Wheatstone, on the application of bino- 
cular vision to the microscope, has pointed out the advantages 
we may expect to derive from this principle, when certain 
optical difficulties have been overcome ; and Mr. Wenham, 
by his ingenious contrivances and admirable workmanship, 
has vanquished some of these difficulties, and given us a 
glimpse of the benefits in store for us. 
The modification of artificial light by the intervention of 
coloured glasses has often been attempted, but it has generally 
been found to impair definition. The combination proposed 
by Mr. Rainey, for the purpose of stopping the heating rays, 
although it sensibly diminishes the light, appears to answer 
remarkably well. 
Dr. W. Gregory, Mr. Shadbolt^ and Mr. Roper have con- 
tributed papers on Diatomace3e. The latter, on those of the 
Thames, is particularly interesting, as opening a field of 
research in our own vicinity, the specimens being obtained 
from localities with which we are all acquainted. 
Mr. Legg's paper on sponge-sand contains many hints 
