Journal of Proceedings. 
xcix 
The President said it was his painful duty to announce that at the 
Council Meeting held on January 18th, it was resolved:—“ That in 
accordance with Rule VII. the following members be removed from the 
Club, and their names read out from the chair at the Annual Meeting 
as having been expelled for non-payment of subscriptions, rex^eated 
application having been made for the same.” [Here followed the names 
of eight members.] 
In accordance with notice given at the last meeting, the Hon. 
Secretary proposed the abolition of the 7s. 6d. rate of subscription, on 
the grounds that the actual charge of each member upon the funds 
amounted to more than 7s. 6d., and further, as the operations of the 
Society embraced the whole county of Essex, the retention of the second 
class of members was felt to be unnecessary and anomalous. 
The x>roposal was seconded by Professor Boulger, and passed 
unanimously. It was understood that the change did not legally affect 
members proposed previously to the last two months of 1883, but the 
hope was expressed that such members would accept the alteration for 
the reasons given above and in the Annual Report. 
Some discussion took place as to the expediency of imposing an 
Entrance Fee of 10s. 6d. upon all future elections into the Club, but some 
doubts being expressed as to the wisdom of the proposal at that period 
of the Club’s existence the matter was allowed to drop for the time. 
The retiring President then delivered his third and valedictory Annual 
Address [Transactions, vol. iii., p. 59.] 
At the conclusion of the Address, Mr. Henry Walker said that though 
the hour was then late they would not do justice to themselves unless 
they told their retiring President what was in their minds and hearts. 
They had come to that meeting feeling that it was a somewhat eventful 
night—the night of then’ parting with Mr. Meldola in his official 
character as President. It was not for him to attempt to give Mr. 
Meldola a certificate. But one could not help feeling this : they had all 
noticed the immense advantage it was to have in biological questions the 
assistance of one who had had what one might call a double training— 
a training in physical science, the severe training of the physicist. They 
had had that great advantage with Mr. Meldola; he had come to the 
consideration of biological problems with the enlarged views gained by 
studies in chemistry and observational astronomy. Unfortunately, so 
high an ideal as they had had before them made it somewhat difficult, 
perhaps, for a new President to follow, although he, knowing the 
succeeding President, could well assure the Club that he would fully 
vindicate himself. But he was then speaking only as their mouthpiece to 
convey to their President their very sincere regret upon his retirement; 
they were all under a personal debt of obligation to him, for they felt 
that the Club largely owed its status to him. He moved that the Club 
present its most hearty and sincere thanks to the retiring President, 
[Applause.] 
