124 
Annual Meeting, April 19th, 1859. 
W. Fairbairn, F.R.S. President, in the Chair. 
The following gentlemen were elected members of the 
Society: — As Honorary Members: W. J. Macquorn Rankine, 
LL.D., F. R.S., &c. ; Baron Carl T. von Reichenbach. As 
Ordinary Members : Thomas Fleelis, Thomas Reade Wilkin- 
son, Arthur Ransome, B.A., M.B., M.R.C.S. 
The following Report was then read by Dr. Schunck, 
one of the Secretaries : — 
In presenting their Annual Report, the Council beg leave to 
express their conviction, that at no period of its existence has 
the Society been in a more flourishing condition. The 
increase in the number of members, the interest taken in the 
meetings, as manifested by the numerous attendance of 
members, the more than average quality of the communica- 
tions read before the Society, the zeal manifested by the great 
majority of the members in promoting the interests of the 
Society, the rapid increase in the number of books in the 
library — due in great measure to the perseverance and 
enthusiasm of our present librarian— are circumstances which 
justify the Council in arriving at this conclusion. It is 
true that the great minds, whose genius was the pride of 
our Society during the early period of its history, and whose 
labours as recorded in the Memoirs form the foundation on 
which our renown as a Society rests, are no longer amongst us, 
and their loss is one which no industry and no zeal can ever 
supply. Nevertheless our reputation in the scientific world is 
still very high, and it should be our earnest endeavour to do all 
in our power to sustain this reputation ; and above all things 
not to allow the character of our Memoirs, which forms the 
very basis on which our reputation is founded, to sink to 
anything like mediocrity. 
Proceebixgs — Lit. & Phil. Society— No. 15.— Session, 1858-9. 
