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honorary distinction on Sir Roderick Murchison (who was present 
at the meeting), in consideration of his original, persevering, and 
successful exertions to throw light upon the super-position and real 
age of vast geological formations of extreme antiquity in the 
north-western Highlands. The medal was, by permission of the 
British Association, presented to Sir Roderick Murchison by Sir 
David Brewster our Senior Vice-President, at one of the evening 
meetings at Aberdeen. 
II. The Neill Medal and Prize, founded by our late member 
Dr Patrick Neill, for the encouragement of the natural history 
studies in which he took a life-long interest, has been awarded by 
the Council to Dr Lauder Lindsay, a Scotchman, but not a fellow 
of this Society, for a paper on the Lichens, showing immense labour 
and research. This paper has been submitted to competent botanists 
for their opinion, and the Council have pleasure in stating that it 
has received their high approbation. It will therefore not merely 
be rewarded by the Neill Medal and Prize, but it is in the course of 
being printed at length in the Transactions, and of being illustrated 
by numerous plates, beautifully executed by the well-known artist, 
Mr Tuffen West of London. The delay which Fellows of the 
Society have experienced in receiving their fasciculus of transactions 
arises from the wish of the Council to include in it this important 
contribution, which will very soon be completed. 
A change in the arrangement of the Society’s apartments* which 
the Council hope will be universally considered to be an improvement, 
has (after many delays) been carried into effect during the past 
summer. 
While formally entering with the Board of Manufactures into an 
extension of the lease of the Society’s present premises, the Council 
very readily agreed to exchange the Old Museum upstairs for an 
apartment of the very same size on the ground-floor, immediately to 
the south of the present suite, with which it is made to communicate 
by opening a new door. The increased convenience of this for our 
conversational evening meetings must be plain to every one, and 
will, we hope, be experienced this evening, when the New Museum 
will be opened for the first time. 
It may be added, that though some outlay has been incurred in con- 
nection with this improvement (as well as for the cleaning and decora- 
tion of the old rooms) no additional rent will be paid by the Society. 
