12 
president’s address. 
being very limited, I was afraid tliat I might fail to find 
anything which would interest you among the Geological 
problems of the year. 
The kind and hearty co-operation and assistance which 
have been afforded me since then have made all the functions 
of the office not only easy of fulfilment, but pleasant in the 
performance, and I can only tender to all those with whom I 
had the good fortune to be associated, the expression of my 
heartfelt thanks for the unfailing courtesy with which they 
have supplemented my many deficiencies. The work of a 
society such as this can only be satisfactorily carried on by 
those who have help to give extending it to all those who 
wish it; such, I take it, is the object of our association, and I 
believe it is to a very considerable extent fulfilled. It seems, 
however, worthy of consideration whether we might not, by 
a little more thought for the requirements of our younger 
members, make our meetings still more generally useful. 
The papers which are read frequently appear to mark the 
furthest point of knowledge on the subject treated of, and 
although this is, of course, a most important part of our 
work, and one which can by no means be lost sight of, there 
are many evenings which might suitably be filled up either 
with quite elementary papers on Natural History subjects, or 
with some rather more systematic “ exhibition of specimens ” 
than is usually provided for us. After all, the meetings 
depend entirely on those who attend them, and the remedy for 
a deficiency which any member feels is, to a great extent, in 
his, or her, own hand. The Committee is always most 
anxious for the maintenance of the interest of the meetings, 
and would, I am sure, welcome any promises of papers or 
specimens from others than the comparatively few members 
who at present furnish most of them. 
As to Geological subjects, to which I may make reference, 
I am again fortunate, for although there have been no great 
volcanic eruptions such as that which made the year 1B83 
memorable, we have had reminders even in our own quiet 
island that our quiescence is only relative and temporary. 
During the year two of the most severe shocks of earthquake 
which have happened in these islands for probably a century 
or two have affected the east and north-west of England 
respectively. The latter seems to have attracted comparatively 
little notice ; the former caused an excitement all through the 
country which some persons who saw the effects thought to be 
rather disproportionate to them, but which was an undoubted 
boon to the many poor people whose property had suffered. 
At any rate, more damage was done than has been caused by 
