62 
The President's Address, 
be difficult to establisli a legal claim to the then proceeds. 
We cannot appear in a corporate form in a court of equity ; 
we cannot sue or be sued. Our Members can pay or not 
their subscription^ as it seems good to them. We have no 
power to deal with any Member who may fall into arrears, to 
recover the money. Should we fall into debt, they are not 
the debts of the Society, but are the debts of the individual 
by whose order they were incurred. 
Your Council, for these reasons, and for many others, con- 
sider it would be for the benefit of all Members, and to all 
who may hereafter be elected Members, to endeavour to 
acquire legal power to act and do in all things as fully and 
effectually, to all intents and purposes whatsoever, as any 
other body politic and corporate can act and do, and that 
every other person and other bodies politic and corporate 
might be able to negotiate legally with this Society. 
The necessary fees are considerable ; but the Council hope 
they will not be compelled to charge the expense either to 
the ordinary revenue account or to the money invested in 
the Funds. They hope to raise the necessary amount by 
subscriptions among the Members. Several names of sub- 
scribers have already been given in ; and in the event of this 
Annual Meeting approving of the propositions that will be 
placed before them, no time will be lost in taking the pre- 
liminary steps. 
In the event of a Royal Charter being granted, the dis- 
tinctive title of the proposed corporate body would have to 
be selected, and the initial letters should be those of no other 
corporate body. The natural title would be ^' Fellow of the 
Microscopical Society,^^ with the letters "F.M.S. but these 
letters are already in use. But if we elect to keep our present 
title, ^' Fellow of the Microscopic Society of London,^^ the 
distinguishing letters of the Society would be F.M.S.L.^^ — 
a distinction not in use by any other Society. 
A good deal of time has been devoted by a Committee, 
consisting of myself and the Secretaries appointed by your 
Council, to revise the rules of this Society previous to re- 
printing them, and your Council have given great attention 
to this matter. On looking over the rules as they at present 
stand, it will be found that the Council have no power to call 
a Special Meeting of the Members, should circumstances 
arise rendering such a meeting necessary, and this power will 
be asked of you to-night. It is likely that at an early 
meeting the results of the deliberation of the Council will be 
laid before you. 
The Quarterly Journal continues to publish our proceedings 
