47 
The following Report, prepared at the request of the previous 
meeting, was read and adopted : — 
"The Committee appointed at the last General Meeting of the 
West Riding Geological Society, on July 26th, to prepare a report on 
the position and prospects of the Society, with suggestions for increas- 
ing its numbers and efl&ciency, beg to submit the following statement : — 
" They have investigated the present position of the Society and find 
the number of members on the books to be 121. The arrears of sub- 
scription for 1871 amount to £63 Is. Od., and those for the previous 
year to £28 14s. Od. The annual income of the Society at present is 
estimated at £78 13s. Od., and its necessary expenditure at £73 Os. Od. 
The Committee consider it possible to add largely to the number of 
members by an active canvass. 
"The Committee consider it a matter of great importance to support 
and strengthen an institution which has rendered good service to local 
geology for thirty-four years, and they are of opinion that the Society 
has an extensive field of work open to it for the future. The geological 
features of this Riding are still most imperfectly understood. So 
varied are they, and so full of scientific interest, as well as of economic 
importance, that the materials for sound and useful contributions can 
never fail us. 
" The Committee have considered the various ways in which a Society 
of this kind may be most useful, and thsy beg to offer the following 
suggestions for its future management : — 
1. That the proceedings of the Society should be more exclusively 
confined to Geology and Technology, the two branches of science which 
were contemplated as the appropriate field of the Society at its first 
institution. The department of local Archaeology is now occupied by a 
Yorkshire Society which is labouring with energy and success to dis- 
charge those duties which this Society, inconsistently, perhaps, with its 
title, but still usefully, had taken upon itself. 
2. That a small Committee of Revision, composed of five persons, 
of whom three shall be a quorum, be appointed to examine all papers 
read at the Society's meetings, and to select such only as are specially 
suited to publication. That it be a standing instruction to this Com- 
mittee to recommend only those papers which contain valuable original 
matter on some of the subjects which are taken into consideration by 
the Society, or which have special reference to the Geology or Industries 
of the "West Riding. 
3. That photographs of interesting geological phenomena within 
the Riding be issued periodically to the members, accompanied by 
descriptive letterpress. The photogi'aphs should be on a good scale, 
