60 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 
Institute will be published. This function is among the most 
useful of those generally performed by local scientific bodies. 
Such lists as are appended to these notices serve as indexes to the 
literature of the subjects and are also convenient as check lists 
enabling one at a glance to take in the state of our knowledge, 
and to see as far as that knowledge goes what the composition of 
the fauna (or whatever branch may be treated of) is, and to 
compare the species represented or other subjects treated of with 
those of other places or collections. 
An application was made during the year to His Excellency 
the Patron for the grant to the Institute of copies of Govern- 
ment Publications. His Excellency was good enough to accede 
to the application and in consequence the Institute has received 
from the Government Printing Office the following volumes 
Trinidad Official Gazette... 
... 34 
Volumes. 
Council Papers and Minutes 
... 22 
Yearly Blue Books of the Colony 
... 10 
» 
In all 
... 66 
These form a notable addition to the Library of the Institute and 
will be exceedingly useful for reference. 
The Institute has received donations of Books, &c. from 
various persons and bodies as detailed in the Proceeding 
O * 
A beginning has been made in binding the books left to the 
Institute by the Scientific Association. 
Correspondence lias been carried on during the year with the 
Imperial Institute of Great Britain, the Colonies and India with a 
view to improving our relations with the Institute ; but it cannot 
be said that any definite course of action has yet been decided on. 
In April last it was discovered that the Clerk and Assistant 
Curator, Gibbs, had committed serious frauds by embezzling moneys 
