1916 - 17 .] 
Meetings of the Society. 
399 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE STATUTORY GENERAL MEETING 
Ending the 134th Session, 1916-1917. 
At the Annual Statutory Meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, held in the Society’s 
Lecture Room, 24 George Street, on Monday, October 22, 1917, at 4.30 p.m. 
Dr Ben. N. Peach, F. R.S., Vice-President, in the Chair, 
the Minutes of the last Statutory Meeting of October 23, 1916, were read, approved, and signed. 
The Chairman nominated as Scrutineers of the Voting Papers, Mr W. Hume Kerr and 
Mr C. H. Milne. 
The Ballot for the Election of Office-Bearers and Members of Council was then taken. 
The Secretary submitted the following Report : — 
By the death of our Assistant Librarian, Mr Wm. J. Beaton, who was killed at the front on 
September 24, 1917, the Society has lost a devoted and efficient servant. Almost since the out- 
break of the war both the Librarians — Mr George Stewart and the Assistant Librarian — have 
been in the service of their country. They have continued to hold office in this Society during 
these years. 
Mr Beaton joined the 15th Royal Scots, and after being wounded in the “Big Push” in July 
1916, he returned to this country to convalesce. He subsequently obtained a Commission in the 
Machine Gun Company, and it was in that capacity, when inspecting the position of the guns under 
his care, that he lost his way during a fog, and found himself when the fog lifted close to the 
German lines ; there in full view of his own men he met his death at the hands of the snipers. He 
was alive when rescued from “No Man’s Land,” but expired almost immediately thereafter. Lieut. 
Beaton was an only son, and the Society desire to express their deep sympathy with his parents 
and sisters. 
Mr George Stewart is a sergeant in the 4th Royal Scots, and has served continuously through 
the Dardanelles, Egyptian, and Palestine campaigns. He is expected home on his first leave before 
the end of the year. He received special mention in dispatches some months ago. 
The activities of the Society have continued with but slight abatement during the past year in 
spite of war conditions. The number of papers read at our meetings during 1916-17 amounted to 
34, of which 20 have been, or are being, printed in the Proceedings , and 7 in the Transactions. 
4 of the papers which are not yet in the printers’ hands will certainly be published in due course. 
Of the papers read 6 were in mathematics, 3 in physics, 4 in meteorology and tides, 6 in botany, 
8 in zoology, 3 in geology, 2 in anatomy, and 2 in physiology. If we take 31 as the number of 
papers which have been or will be published in the Proceedings and Transactions of the last session, 
and compare this with the 41 papers of 1913-14, and the 41 papers of 1914-15, we see that the 
diminution in publication on account of war conditions amounts to about one-fourth. It is certain, 
however, that there will be a greater fall-off in publication during the coming session, partly on 
account of the energies of scientific workers being devoted to war purposes, and partly on account 
of the necessity of keeping down our expenses. 
The disastrous fire which destroyed Messrs Neill k Co.’s printing works in May of 1916 dis- 
organised the publication of both our Proceedings and Transactions. One whole Part of the 
Transactions had to be reset and reprinted, and a considerable portion of another Part. This also 
caused great delay, so that what ought to have been published in 1915-16 did not appear until this 
year. Only one Part of the Transactions was issued in 1916 ; and during this last session we have 
made up arrears by issuing five Parts instead of the customary three. 
Our financial loss on account of the fire was considerable, and this, added to the increase in 
prices, has seriously affected our finances, regarding which the Treasurer will give a separate 
Report. 
The new method for the election of Fellows has now been in existence for two years, and has 
proved in every respect a successful change of procedure. Last March the Society elected 21 new 
Fellows, and we have lost during the session by death and resignation 9 Ordinary Fellows and 1 
Honorary Fellow. There are at this moment 627 Fellows, of whom 261 are annual subscribers. 
Two prizes were awarded during the year — the Makdougall-Brisbane Prize to Dr R. A. Houstoun 
of Glasgow University, and the Gunning Victoria Prize to Sir Thos. Muir of South Africa. 
Great progress has been made in the cataloguing of the Library, which has been carried out 
under the direct supervision of Dr Sutherland Black, who voluntarily retired from the Curator- 
ship last year. Through the united efforts of our Assistant Librarian — Miss Le Harivel — and 
Miss Dorothy Charlton (specially engaged by Dr Black for the purpose of cataloguing) we not 
only know what journals and books we have in our possession, but are able, at a moment’s notice, 
