76 
The President's Address. 
Witli regard to our cabinet of objects^ although we have 
received several presents, I am ashamed to state that the 
collection is most absurdly small, numbering but 351 slides. 
It is a reproach to every member of the Society that this 
state of things should remain, and it might be worthy consi- 
deration whether we might not establish a regulation that 
every new member elected henceforth should be called upon 
to supply a few slides upon his admission into our body. It 
would also be a work deserving the warmest thanks of all, if 
some energetic member would undertake the office of collec- 
tor of objects : he would soon reap a rich harvest, as I must 
certainly admit that there is readiness enough to give, 
though not so to give unasked. An asker -general, then, is 
what we want — a sort of honorable as well as honorary 
beggar. 
The numbers of members in our list is precisely the same 
as last year, but this is, in reality, an increase, for we have 
again weeded out some that were unprofitable ; and I think 
we may now regard our list as thoroughly purged of those 
who were members in name only. 
The number at the last anniversary v»^as . . 267 
Since elected . . . . . . . 26 
293 
Resigned ....... 6 
Dead 3 
Removed for non-payment of subscriptions 17 
— 26 
Leaving the list now . 267 
Those who have been taken away from us by death are — 
Jacob W. Bailey, Professor of Chemistry at the United 
States Military Academy, West Point, New York ; Mr. F. J. 
Bell; and the Rev. J. Guillemard. 
The name at least of the first mentioned must be familiar 
to every member, very many having participated in the dia- 
tomaceous fossils and other interesting specimens transmitted 
by him to Mr. Marshall, and liberally distributed by that 
gentleman. 
Professor Bailey is also well known to us for his labours 
amongst the.Diatomacese ; many of his papers published in the 
^Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge^ and elsewhere, in 
which he follows the views of Professor Ehrenberg in his 
descriptions of the various forms^ being in our possession. 
