Wesley occupied the chair. In accordance with the special business of the meeting, the Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., was unanimously elected President of the Society for the session commencing in October. The very cordial thanks of the Society were given to the Rev. E. A. Wesley for his services to the Society during his second year of office. Mr. Richard Eastley read a paper entitled "Utopia: 'Natural Society' and 'Village Communities.' "

ORDINARY MEMBERS ELECTED DURING THE SESSION.

Mrs. Percy Ogden, Rev. S. Jackson, M.A., Mr. Joseph Cooke, Mrs. Crawford, Mr. T. Martin-Jones, Miss T. M. James, Mr. Thomas Ogden.

The attendances during the session were as follows:Annual Meeting, 45; Ordinary Meetings, 68, 60, 75, 39, 40, 150, 45, 40, 52, 48, 58, 40, 25.

xxii

NINETY-THIRD SESSION, 1903-04.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the Royal Institution, on 5th October, 1903.

The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair.

The following Report of the retiring Council was read and adopted :

REPORT.

The Ninety-second Session of the Society (1902-3) was inaugurated by an Address delivered by the President, Rev. E. A. Wesley, M.A., in his second year of office: and, during the thirteen meetings that followed, papers of both general and special interest were read.

The Annual Dinner was held in December, and the guests invited were Rev. J. P. Mahaffy, D.D., and Mr. Hall Caine; but, through the regretted indisposition of Mrs. Hall Caine, the Society unhappily had to forego the company of Mr. Hall Caine.

During the Session, death has removed from the roll of Members several friends of the Society, whose loss we record with the deepest regret. We have to deplore the lamented decease for Mr. Hugh Hunter, for twenty years a regular attendant at our meetings; Sir James Poole, J.P., Life Member, Mayor of Liverpool in 1886-7, whose connection with the Society covered a period of 17 years; Mr. Josiah Marples, who joined in 1873, and for many years rendered invaluable services in connection with the publication of the Annual Volumes of Proceedings; and Mr. J. Birkbeck Nevins, M.D., London. Dr. Nevins was one of the oldest, most active, and most distinguished members of the Society, and for a period of nearly half a century devoted his rare talents to its welfare. He filled the office of President from 1869-1872, and again from 1894--6. The numerous papers that he contributed to the Proceedings illustrated by their range and depth of learning the versatility and power of a mind devoted to intellectual pursuits, and preserved with unimpaired freshness and vigour to an advanced age.

To the roll of Honorary Members has been added the name of the esteemed Ex-President, Mr. Edward Davies, F.C.S., F.I.C.

The Treasurer's accounts were submitted and adopted. The following officers were elected for the ensuing session :-Vice-Presidents-Mr. A. Theodore Brown, reelected, Mr. J. Hampden Jackson, F.R.G.S., F.C.I.S., reelected, and Mr. Roland J. A. Shelley. Hon. TreasurerMr. J. W. Thompson, B.A., re-elected. Hon. LibrarianMr. Alfred W. Newton, M.A., re-elected. Hon. SecretaryMr. Edward G. Narramore, L.D.S., Eng., re-elected.

The following members were elected to serve on the Council in place of the five retiring members: - Miss Maude L. Higgins, Rev. H. J. Chaytor, M.A., Mr. James Mellor, Dr. J. Ernest Nevins, Mr. James Rice Lewis.

The Associates were re-elected.

The President then read his Address entitled "Early Victorian Literature."

ORDINARY MEETINGS.

I. 19th October, 1903. The President Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Dr. J. Murray Moore exhibited a specimen of "Radium." Mr. John Lee, B.A., read a paper entitled "Some Original Studies of Lancashire Life."

II. 2nd November, 1903. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Rev. H. J. Chaytor, M.A., read a paper entitled "Folquet of Marseilles (1160(?)-1231), Troubadour, Bishop, and Inquisitor." The Rev. H. J. Chaytor, M.A., exhibited one of Folquet's poems in the original old Provençal, which he translated into English, with explanations of its poetical form.

III. 16th November, 1903. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Dr. A. E. Hawkes, in the course of some remarks on the Spencer Library, stated that in the Ryland's Library, at Manchester, were deposited almost all the valuable books which had been accumulated by the Earl Spencer at Althorp. The Spencer Library was purchased by Mrs. Rylands for the purpose. He hoped that members of the Society would accept the Librarian's invitation and inspect some of the treasures, upon the possession of which they should congratulate Manchester. Rev. E. A. Wesley, M.A., read a paper entitled "The Province of Poetry."

IV. 30th November, 1903. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Dr. J. Murray Moore exhibited (1) A Facsimile of the First Folio (1623) of Shakespeare; (2) “The Complete Works of Shakespeare," with Glossarial Notes and Life by N. Rowe, 1825. Mr. James T. Foard read a paper entitled "The Apocrypha of Shakespeare." Mr. Foard treated of the various forms of Apocryphal Biography of Shakespeare.

V. 14th December, 1903. The Vice-President, Mr. A. Theodore Brown, occupied the chair. The Rev. E. А. Wesley referred to the decease of Mr. Herbert Spencer, touching upon some of his personal characteristics and his life's work as a thinker and philosopher. Mr. Edward G. Narramore read a paper entitled " A Sketch of the Faust Theme in Legend, Literature, and Art." In connection with the paper were shown some lantern slide reproductions of notable pictorial treatments of the theme by Sichem, Rembrandt, Seibertz, and Henry Moses after Retzsch; and also, amongst some other books, a recent reprint of the English Faust-Book of 1592.

VI. 11th January, 1904. The Vice-President, Mr. A. Theodore Brown, occupied the chair. Mr. R. C. Johnson, F.R.A.S., read a paper entitled "Notes on Dr. Alfred Russell Wallace's new book, Man's Place in the Universe." Mr. Alfred W. Newton, M.A., read a paper entitled "Some Notes on the Bastille."

VII. 25th January, 1904, Rev. E. A. Wesley, exPresident, occupied the chair. Dr. J. Murray Moore read a paper entitled " A Tour in Austria and Hungary." The paper was illustrated by lantern slides.

VIII. 8th February, 1904. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Prof. Oliver Elton read a paper entitled "The Study of Shakspere."

IX. 22nd February, 1904. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A K.C.L., occupied the chair. Prof. L. R. Wilberforce read a paper on "Radium." By the kind invitation of Prof. Wilberforce, the meeting was adjourned to the Physics Theatre of the University, in order to afford the necessary facilities for the experiments illustrating the paper.

X. 7th March, 1904. The President, Rev. W. E. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Mr. Roland J. A. Shelley read a paper entitled "The English Navy in the days of Cromwell."

XI. 21st March, 1904. The President, Rev. W. Е. Sims, A.K.C.L., occupied the chair. Mr. Richard J. Lloyd,

C