Langhorne Orchard, whose interest in the work of the Institute had been long and deep. The Chairman announced that his daughter, Mrs. H. E. Cooper, along with her husband, the Rev. H. E. Cooper,, proposed to found a Triennial Prize in memory of the Professor, open to Members and Associates.

The CHAIRMAN drew attention to the small decrease of twelve in the numbers of Members and Associates, and expressed a hope that we might make every effort to raise our numbers to 500 during the present year.

The adoption of the Report was seconded by Lieut.-Colonel A. S. Roberts, and passed by those present.

Lieut.-Colonel HOPE BIDDULPH proposed the preparation of a budget for the coming year, which Mr. E. Luff Smith said was quite feasible. A discussion ensued, in which Messrs. H. Lance Gray, E. Harrison and others joined, as to a possible reduction in expenditure owing to a decrease in the cost of printing and paper. Colonel Biddulph suggested that much might be done through judicious advertisement, in such a way that the prestige of the Society should not suffer, but its influence be spread.

The second Resolution was proposed by Mr. HENRY P. RUDD, and seconded by Mr. W. E. LESLIE:

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That the thanks of the meeting be given to the Council Officers and Auditor for their efficient conduct of the business of the Victoria Institute during the year."

This was carried.

Reference was also made by the Honorary Secretary and Lieut-Colonel Biddulph to the good work of the Secretary, Mr. A. E. Montague.

It was then proposed by the CHAIRMAN, and seconded by Lieut.-Colonel MACKINLAY, that the Very Rev. H. Wace, D.D., Dean of Canterbury, be elected President, and that retiring

members of Council, Dr. James W. Thirtle, Mr. A. W. Oke, Mr. R. W. Dibdin, Mr. W. Hoste, and Dr. A. H. Burton, be re-elected, and that Dr. D. Anderson-Berry and Major H. Pelham Burn be elected members of Council, and that Mr George Anthony King, M.A., be elected Treasurer in the place of Mr. Arthur W. Sutton, and member of Council.

After Lieut-Colonel MACKINLAY had made kind references to each of the above, the motion was carried unanimously.

On the proposal of Mr. W. E. LESLIE, seconded by Mr. W. HOSTE, Mr. E. Luff Smith was re-elected as Auditor for the current year at a fee of three guineas.

The fourth Resolution was proposed by Mr. LESLIE and seconded by Mr. HOSTE:

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That the cordial thanks of this meeting be passed to the Chairman, Mr. A. W. Oke, for presiding on this occasion."

This was agreed upon unanimously.

Victoria Institute.

THE LATE EARL OF HALSBURY.

OBITUARY NOTICE.

The Victoria Institute was founded in 1865 by the late Lord Shaftesbury on the day after its inauguration he wrote these words in his diary :-

:

May 25th.-Yesterday took chair at Inaugural Meeting of Victoria Institute. I dare, as it were, to take Heaven by storm, and assume that God, for His blessed Son's sake, will prosper and advance this Institute, founded, as it is, to show the necessary, eternal and Divine harmony between true Science and Revelation.' The Institute grew and flourished under his guidance until his death in December, 1885; in the following year Sir George Gabriel Stokes, President of the Royal Society, was elected our President, and remained with us till his death in 1903, when Lord Halsbury, whose death we now mourn, took his place. It is remarkable that when our late President accepted the unanimous invitation of the Council of the Victoria Institute, he was also Lord Chancellor, but though occupying such an exalted and onerous position in public life, and though busily engaged in politics and in writing a very comprehensive book on the laws of England, and though past four score years when he became our President, he nevertheless took up his duties with us with much energy, so highly did he value the usefulness of our Institute in influencing the thought of the educated people of our land. He was by no means a mere figurehead. He carefully examined and signed each of our Annual Reports, he frequently presided at Council meetings, and also when papers were read before the whole Institute. He was an ideal Chairman, as might well be expected of one who had occupied the Woolsack for a very considerable number of years; he was dignified and alert, and with an attractive vein of humour, which always put us at our ease.

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He spoke out fully against some of the fallacies of the day, the Christian Scientist and the Modernist Professor both came in for his pointed criticism; for instance, he spoke of the latter in these words (June 21st, 1915): He cannot be contradicted or brought to book. If anyone brings forward an argument on the other side, the Professor says that his opponent has made a mistake; but, being a Professor, he does not consider himself obliged to substantiate even this assertion.”

As iately as the summer of 1919, he had promised to give the Annual Address, but much against his will, he was compelled to relinquish his plan, owing to physical weakness; some months later, only a short time before the end of his life, he sent in his resignation, as he said that at his great age (he was then nearly 97 years old) he could not conscientiously fulfil the duties of his post, and he could no longer attend personally. The Council replied that they quite understood his position, but they much hoped that he would still remain President of the Institute, even if unable to attend personally, as he was known for so many years in connection with the Victoria Institute, and the retention of his name as President would greatly help our work. He graciously and kindly acceded to our request, on the distinct understanding that it was to be on the arrangements proposed by the Council.

Thus, it will be seen how earnestly and how faithfully Lord Halsbury carried out his duties, beginning at the very commencement of his Presidential career and steadfastly continuing up to the end of his long life.

The last part of our late President's term of office embraced the anxious years of the Great War, and of the first three years of the Armistice, and our Institute experienced a full share of the difficulties which fell to the lot of all; but our President's support and help were unfailing during all that trying period, and he proved himself to be a friend to us indeed. Lord Halsbury was also a Vice-President of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and President of the local branch in South Kensington.

The Earl of Halsbury's contributions to the history of our country on legal and political lines are well known, and need not further be referred to now, except to emphasise the steadfast goodness which he displayed, while immersed in so many great responsibilities, in devoting so much of his valuable time to the furtherance of the work of the Victoria Institute.

We thank God for his leadership, and we shall remember him with gratitude.

635TH ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING,

HELD IN COMMITTEE ROOM B, THE CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER, ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH, 1921,

AT 4.30 P.M.

PROFESSOR T. G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., IN THE CHAIR.

The Minutes of the previous Meeting were read, confirmed, and signed. The HON. SECRETARY announced the election of the following Members and Associates since the last Meeting:-Dr. Louis E. Wood, John Sterry, Esq., Sir Charles J. Owens, C.B., the Rev. Russell J. Howden, B.D., E. A. McGill, Esq., M.Sc., A.M.I.C.E., the Rev. J. A. Brunberg, D.D., A. T. Babbs, Esq., F.S.I., and Archdeacon J. P. Kempthorne as Members, and Major Holness, R. A.V.C., O. M. Alger, Esq., J. G. Althouse, Esq., C. A. Dyer, Esq., H. M. Gilchrist, Esq., J. H. Manuel, Esq., Mrs. Bertha Carr-Harris, the Rev. W. E. Rowlands, Dr. John A. Widtsoe, Sir Robert J. Kennedy, K.C.M.G., James Dunn, Esq., Pastor F. E. Marsh, the Rev. W. E. Oswald Parry, and the Rev. Charles Garratt as Associates.

The CHAIRMAN then called upon the Rev. Andrew Craig Robinson, M.A., to read his paper on "Darius the Median and the Cyropaedia of Xenophon in the Light of the Cuneiform Inscriptions."

DARIUS THE MEDIAN AND THE CYROPAEDIA OF XENOPHON IN THE LIGHT OF THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS. By the REV. ANDREW CRAIG ROBINSON,

M.A.

HARLES ROLLIN, a

distinguished French historian, composed a work, entitled Histoire Ancienne (published in Paris in twelve volumes, 1730-1738), which attained wide celebrity, and was translated into English and many other languages besides. In commencing his history of Cyrus, Rollin wrote as follows:

The history of this prince is differently related by Herodotus and Xenophon. I follow the latter, as judging

VICTORIA INSTITUTE TRANSACTIONS.

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