327 
(notwithstanding Mr. Leifchild’s appointment) the interests of onr important 
society require the active co-operation of another honorary secretary, able 
and willing, con amove, to do work for it, in a way that at present I cannot 
hope to perform ; and that I only now hold office, because I am unwilling 
to quit the post till this want is supplied, and the Institute is better 
served. 
I need not say to you (and I trust not to many of our members) how sorry 
I am that I have been and am quite unable to work for the Victoria Insti- 
tute as it was once my privilege and greatest pleasure to do ; and I feel that 
I would neither be doing justice to myself, nor to the cause we have all so 
much at heart, were I not frankly to offer this explanation, and ask you to 
give some indication to the members and associates in my absence, that the 
falling off in my exertions must not be attributed to any abatement of 
interest in our society, which I ever feel more and more is truly doing good 
service in the cause of truth, and, most truly, ad majorem Dei gloriam. 
Believe me, 
My dear Mr. Mitchell, 
Always yours most faithfully, 
J. REDDIE, 
Rev. Walter Mitchell, M.A., Hon. Sec. 
Vice-President Viet. Inst., &c. 
I think we should not be doing our duty if we did not take the oppor- 
tunity afforded by his absence for expressing our warmest thanks to him 
for his great exertions in the interest of the society, and which are probably 
known to no one so well as to Captain Fishbourne and myself. With regard 
to the suggestions which have been made for furthering the interests of 
the association, I cordially concur in them, and I hope every member 
will act up to them. As to the desirability of publishing reports of our 
meetings in the newspapers, I am fully alive to that, and I have spoken 
myself to the chief editor of one of the daily papers on the subject ; but his 
reply to me was : — “ We make it a rule not to notice any such societies, and 
we cannot do it.” The only thing for us to do is to advance ourselves by doing 
sound work. It will only be by showing that we are perfectly up to our 
work that we shall succeed in our objects, and that I think we are doing. 
This being the first general meeting at which Mr. Reddie has not been 
present, I propose that our thanks be given to him for his great exertions on 
our behalf, with the hope that his health may be soon restored, and that we 
may have the same help from him in the future. 
Captain Fishbourne briefly seconded the motion, and after a few words 
in support from Mr. Alexander McArthur it was unanimously agreed to. 
The Chairman then delivered the following address to the meeting : — 
