The President's Address . By E. M. Nelson. 
151 
with Microscopy proper, which subject is, after all, the raison d'etre of 
this Society. While we are anxious to provide Fellows residing 
outside London with a Journal wdiich shall keep them au courant 
with what is going on in our special subject, we must remember that 
this Society was founded, and that it still exists, for other purposes 
beside those of Journal publication. 
We have serious responsibilities to discharge with regard to our 
Cabinet of Objects, to our Cabinet of Instruments, and to our Library. 
With the exception of a small sum for the repair of our Slide Cabinet, 
nothing has been expended on it for years, and our collection would 
now be in a deplorable condition had not Mr. W. T. Suffolk kindly 
come to our assistance with his time and special knowledge of slide 
mounting. You have already been informed of the manuscript 
catalogue of 4000 objects which Mr. Suffolk has written and gene- 
rously presented to the Society ; this represents but a small portion of 
his work. I am sure the Fellows will appreciate his untiring efforts 
for the preservation and rearrangement of our collection of Micro- 
scopic Objects. 
On our Cabinet of Instruments the Society has spent scarcely 
anything for many years past. At the present time this valuable and 
representative collection of Microscopes is, as you are aware, in a very 
unsatisfactory condition. During the past year an effort has been 
made to rearrange the entire collection, and for the better preserva- 
tion of this valuable portion of the Society’s property your Council 
have appointed a Curator. Mr. Rousselet, whose practical methods 
and knowledge in regard to Microscopy are known to many of you, 
has kindly accepted the post. The Council feel sure that under his 
able management this important department will not be neglected in 
future. During the past session the more modem instruments have 
been repaired and put in order by their respective makers free of 
charge. I am sure that the Society will accord to Messrs. Baker, 
Beck, Ross, and Swift their hearty thanks for their generous action in 
this matter. 
Our Library cannot be said to be in a satisfactory state while so 
many books and publications of purely Microscopical interest still 
remain unbound. Your Council have had this matter under their 
consideration, but have not felt justified in authorising any expendi- 
ture upon the Library during the past year. 
As several Fellows have both written and spoken to me with 
regard to the commercial value of the advertising space in our Journal, 
I may say that the Council have been dealing very carefully with this 
subject, and a new arrangement has been entered into which it is 
hoped will bring a larger income to the Society under this head. 
Before leaving this part of my address let me point out that the 
number of papers read last year was only eight, while the average 
number appearing in the last ten volumes of the Monthly Microscopi- 
cal Journal had been 28 per annum. I am aware that as the sciences 
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