viii Appendix No. 1.
matter for regret that the Club was left to bear nearly the whole expense
of the public opposition to the High Beach Railway: a charge which
largely added to our expenditure during the past year. The only sub-
scription received towards defraying the cost of a work which was really
undertaken in the interests of the public generally was £3 3s.—generously
given by Mr. D. J. Morgan, one of the Verderers of the Forest.
In conclusion, the Council feels very hopeful of the future success of
the Club; but it must always be remembered that the prosperity and
usefulness of a Society of this kind is very much in the hands of the
members themselves. It is in their power to place the monetary affairs
of the Club on a higher level, and so enable the Council to publish more
fully and frequently. Almost every member can add to the interest of
the meetings by sending specimens for exhibition; reporting the occurrence
of rare birds, animals, and plants; the exposure of interesting geological
sections by railway and sewerage operations, &c.; by sending short notes
on matters of local or scientific interest; and by aiding the officers
in planning and carrying out field meetings. The Club should be looked
upon as the " Scientific Registry Office " for the county. The remarks
made by Mr. Crisp, the Hon. Secretary to the Royal Microscopical Society,
at a meeting some years back, are so pertinent, that they may be quoted
as a motto for the guidance of our friends during the coming session.
Mr. Crisp said:—" I wish to point out that the prosperity of a Society
cannot be allowed to depend on the energy or enthusiasm of any one man
or set of men. Unless all co-operate, it is inevitable that the Society will
in time languish, and I would therefore make an earnest appeal to all not
to let any year go by without being able to say that they have contributed
something to the advancement of the interests of the Society. I venture
to think that, in regard to subscriptions to scientific societies, there is too
great a tendency to consider the payment of the subscription as the whole
duty to be performed, and that it then only remains to watch and see
that someone else returns value for the money. It is obvious, however,
when once the matter is stated, that this is a wrong notion, and that the
association of persons in a scientific society ought to depend upon a very
different tie to that of a pecuniary one merely, the subscription being
really only the minimum contribution which it is necessary to insist that
all the members should make."
[The Council has again much pleasure in thanking those members who
have kindly furnished the means for serving tea and light refreshments
at the Conversazioni held after each ordinary meeting. The contributions
amounted to £4 0s. 5d. (including a balance of £1 1s. 5d. from 1882), and
the expenses of tea, attendance, &c, at eight meetings to £2 14s. 2d.,
leaving a balance of £1 6s. 3d. to be carried forward.]