Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE
generosity, the still less inconsiderable expense that it has
involved.
In order that the Supplemental Charter may become operative
with as little delay as possible, the Council has been engaged for
some time past in preparing a revision of the Bye-laws. This will
and when
be submitted in due course to the Fellows for approval ;
that formality has been completed, the new order of things will
have been officially inaugurated.
As it may reasonably be expected that when the Supplemental
Charter is in operation there will be an appreciable increase in the
average number of Fellows, it will be reassuring to know that,
should this prove to be the case, the requisite accommodation will be
forthcoming. The Society has now at its disposal for this purpose
some of the rooms on the upper floor, formerly occupied by the
Assistant-Secretary ; and quite recently an official intimation has
been received to the effect that the rooms in this building at present
used by the Post Office will shortly be handed over to us. Not
only has our accommodation been increased, but something has been
done during the past year in improving what we already possess.
Important structural repairs and alterations have been carried out
by the Office of Works, and advantage has been taken of this
opportunity to redecorate the hall and the staircase, as well as
some of the rooms on the upper floor, at a cost to the Society that,
thanks to the liberality of the Office of "Works, has been little more
than nominal. However, a great deal remains to be accomplished in
this direction. The adaptation to our requirements of the rooms
to be vacated by the Post Office demands immediate attention ;
only slightly less pressing is the need for the redecoration of the
Library and of the Council-room.
The mention of these matters inevitably suggests the question
of ways and means. Without intruding into his department,
I may venture to say that the Treasurer's statement conclusively
shows that the expenditure involved cannot be borne
by the present income of the Society, which is hardly sufficient to
meet the normal demands upon it. The Treasurer is, I believe,
so sanguine as to hope that such an accession of new Fellows may
result from the operation of the Supplemental Charter as to
substantially increase the revenue of the Society. If that be one
of the fortunate results of our new departure, the financial
difficulty will be surmounted : otherwise the extraordinary expen-
diture that I have foreshadowed will have to be met either out of
our slowly but surely diminishing capital funds, or, as on more than
one previous occasion, by a special appeal to the generosity of the
Fellows.
I think I am justified in expressing the opinion that the
efficiency of the Society, in all its various departments, has been
fully maintained. From the report of the General Secretary you
will have gathered that the Societ}' has fairly held its own in point
of numbers. The Eeport of the Librarian will haye assured you
that that most important department has not been neglected. Nor