144 
The President's Address. 
taken. To satisfy any one of this, it will only be necessary 
to look at the size of the front lens of a ^ or any higher 
power, when it will at once be evident, by a very simple cal- 
culation, that for such a lens to refract a ray of light inci- 
dent upon it at such an angle as will produce an aperture of 
175°, the lens itself must be in absolute contact with the 
object, and no allowance made for the most trifling amount 
of fitting to hold the lens itself in place. 
I may remark also, that some of the most marvellous 
statements made as regards enormous aperture, have been 
attached to lenses produced on the other side of the Atlantic 
Ocean; but I am quite unable to ascertain anything ap- 
proaching to a verification of such statements ; and while I 
know of several occasions when special arrangements have 
been made for comparing the merits of English and Ameri- 
can lenses of the highest character, I am unaware of any 
instance in which the former were worsted ; for it has always 
so fallen out that some untoward event has prevented the 
actual comparison from being carried out, though English 
lenses have been ready, and English operators eager for the 
contest. 
It is, however, high time for me to pause ; I fear, indeed, 
that a subject so congenial as the optical qualities of our 
favorite instrument has already seduced me into trespassing 
too long upon my auditors^ patience. 
I have to express my great regret that as regards our col- 
lection of objects, we have the very insignificant number of 
340 only — a number that would be regarded as small indeed 
by many, if not most, of our members for their own collection. 
Surely then, as a society, this ought not to be, and I trust 
that the mere mention of the fact will be enough to cause 
this reproach to be speedily wiped away. 
In conclusion, therefore, let me express a hope that our 
members will not forget that it is to themselves alone that 
we look for the means of sustaining the interest of our future 
meetings. 
The Society then proceeded to the election of officers and 
council for the ensuing year, when the following alteration in 
the bye-laws was resolved upon, viz. : 
That in page 6 of the regulations of the Society, the fol- 
lowing alteration be made in the sixth line from the top : 
instead of the word Secretary, the words " two Secretaries " 
be inserted, and that in the succeeding regulations the cor- 
responding alterations be made where necessary. 
