THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 65
fresh start as regards members, showing that the cause of the previous
stagnation was not the exhaustion of the source of supply. For1
in 1871, fifty-nine new members were enrolled, and the average
during the years 1871-80 (both inclusive), was nearly forty-seven.
One result of the stagnant state of the Association in 1863, and a
cause of its continuance after that date, was the non-printing of any
proceedings, from January, 1865, to February, 1870. The part
recording the doings of session 1859-60 consisted of sixty-four pages,
that for the next year of fifty-one pages. The session of '61-2, and
its work, was chronicled in two parts of "Proceedings," amounting
together to 128 pages. But in the three years '62-5, one part only
was issued each year, with an average number of fifty-seven pages in
each part. At present the Geologists' Association publishes four
parts per annum, having a total of about 250 pages, and numbers
about 500 members.
But what interests us on this occasion is not its present prosperity,
but the singular stagnation of the Association after it had been pro-
gressing satisfactorily during the first four years of its existence.
Professor Rupert Jones remarks, that "aiming at extreme economy,
the authorities had not attained the good result of satisfying the
expectations of subscribing members in town and country." With
a new and bolder policy the Association permanently revived, the
Proceedings were issued free to members four times a year, and
monthly circulars were regularly supplied. And since 1871 the
career of the Geologists' Association has been one of uninterrupted
progress and growing prestige.
The progress of the Essex Field Club during the past seven years
has certainly not been impeded by the lack of enterprise that threa-
tened to check the growth of the Geologists' Association at a similar
age, if not to lead to its ultimate extinction. Our "Transactions" and
"Proceedings" in the first year of our existence, 1880, reached a total
of 154 pages, and the average number of pages per annum issued
from the beginning of 1880 to the end of 1886, has been about 200,
exclusive of plates, but including the "Special Memoir'' on the Earth-
quake. It is much to be regretted that the sale of this "Special
Memoir" has not been commensurate with its scientific merits, which
have caused its appearance to be welcomed as an admirable example
of the kind of work which it is one of the best functions of a powerful
local society to accomplish. For the future we have learned that our
most prudent course will be to publish special memoirs only after