6. Secretaries.

The duties of the office of Secretary have been discharged during the year by Mr. E. Walter Maunder, Lecture Secretary; Mr. E. J. Sewell, Secretary for General Purposes; and Dr. Thirtle, Editor of the Journal. This arrangement was carried out for the first time during 1917, and it has worked excellently, notwithstanding all the stress of war conditions. The Council heartily thank each of these honorary workers for their patient, skilful, and successful efforts on behalf of the Victoria Institute, and the more because each of them is responsible for the performance of other onerous duties.

It is with very deep regret that the Council have to report the resignation by Mr. Maunder, since last December, of the post of Lecture Secretary; his services to the Victoria Institute have been very great and of many kinds, and the Council are glad to report that he will continue to render valuable aid as a member of Council.

7. Obituary.

The Council regret to announce the death of Prof. E. Hull, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., one of the Vice-Presidents (see In Memoriam notice), and of the following Members and Associates:

The Rev. E. G. Ashwin, the Rev. F. H. Baring, Mrs. A. Bishop, the Rev. A. Carr, H. H. Chichester, Esq., the Rev. D. Churchward, W. Day, Esq., Mrs. E. L. Gardner, Gen. Halliday, Miss S. M. Nugent, the Rev. D. Rhodes, the Rev. J. Sharp, Archdeacon Sinclair, J. A. Strong, Esq., Bishop S. Thornton.

Five of these had been, for forty years or more, Members or Associates of the Institute, which will greatly miss their longcontinued service and support.

8. New Members and Associates.

The following are the names of new Members and Associates elected during 1917

MEMBERS.-J. G. Dale, Esq., Miss E. James, the Rev. E. T. SiddellJones; the Rev. W. D. Sykes.

ASSOCIATES.-The Rev. W. Q. Amer, E. A. Bowles, Esq., the Rev. J. W. Chappell, the Rev. H. G. Grey, A. K. Grimsdale, Esq., E. E. Grimwood, Esq., W. J. Horner, Esq., Miss C. Hussey, J. O. Kinnaman, Esq., the Rev.

E. Thomas Lea, A. Miller, Esq., Mrs. S. D. Nicholl, the Rev. Harry Oxland, Patrick Morgan, Esq., Mrs. Hayward Porter, C. Stuart Thorpe, Esq., the Rev. F. N. Carus-Wilson.

MISSIONARY ASSOCIATES.

Redwood.

The Rev. M. Nachim, Pastor A. McD.

9. Number of Members and Associates.

The following statement shows the number of supporters of the Institute at the end of December, 1917 :

showing a net decrease of 24, as compared with the total number of subscribers under the same headings reported in last year's return. There are also 81 names on the roll of Honorary Corresponding Members.

10. Finance.

In the cash statement appended to this Report, the totals, both of receipts and expenditure, are much below those of 1916. This is largely due to the fact that the receipts in 1916 were increased by the response to a Special Appeal for Donations, while the expenditure was swelled by the payment in that year of part of the printing and binding charges of 1915, as well as the whole of those of 1916.

The statement for 1917 shows a further small falling-off in the income from subscriptions and sales, which is entirely due to the financial strain produced by the War, which has compelled some of our supporters to discontinue their subscriptions. This has been met by the most rigid economy in expenses, which has resulted in a diminution of ordinary expenditure under most of the headings.

11. Auditors.

The Council desire to thank Messrs. Lance Gray and Avenell most cordially for their services as Auditors.

12. Conclusion.

The year 1917 has been one of very exceptional character. The mind and will of the country have been more and more directed to the sole object of the maintenance of our forces in the field, and the conduct of the War so as to obtain as its result a righteous and permanent peace. But, at the same time, the change in the attitude of the English people towards many of the questions which have in the past been allowed to divide them has been very great, and few can doubt that the future will bring with it still greater changes-political, social, and religious.

In the discussion and carrying out of these changes it is of vital importance that we should all learn to distinguish the things which can be shaken and removed from those which cannot be shaken and must remain. The establishment of this distinction in accordance with its guiding principles is the main object of the Victoria Institute, so that we may look forward to its influence and importance in the future as being not at all less than in the past. The Council trust this will prove to be the case, and that their friends and supporters will rally round them and enable them, under God, to bring so desirable a result to pass.

Signed on behalf of the Council,

HALSBURY.

By the death of Professor Edward Hull, on October 18th, 1917, the Victoria Institute loses a Life Member who during long years took a deep interest in its work. Having joined the Institute in 1888, he first served on the Council, then performed the duties of Secretary, and later on sustained the dignity of Vice-President. In all these positions, during a period of thirty years, he rendered splendid service; and the many papers which he read before the Institute some on questions purely scientific, others on issues more definitely philosophic and spiritual-revealed the man who combined intellectual strength with the true faith of a Christian.

Professor Hull was born in Antrim, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1850 he was appointed to the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom; in 1867 he became District Surveyor in the Scottish Branch of the Survey; and two years later returned to the Sister Isle to undertake the duties of Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland. This last-named post he held till his retirement from official life, after a service of forty years. He was for a long period Professor of Geology in the Royal College of Science in Dublin, and in 1873 President of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland.

The Professor made important contributions to our knowledge of the geology of Palestine. He went to that country in 1883, under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund, as leader of an expedition which included the future Lord Kitchener as one of its staff; the object of research being to report on the region of Mount Seir, Sinai, and Western Palestine. His papers read before the Members of the Victoria Institute were largely the fruit of this important part of his life-work.

After retiring from official life in 1891, Professor Hull settled in the Metropolis, but he remained as fully occupied as ever before, preparing memoirs of his varied researches, and writing books on related subjects. Taken as a whole, his books and papers exceeded 250 in number, and bear impressive witness to his achievements as a scientist of untiring industry. Many who were not privileged to meet him in that sphere rejoiced to know him as a man of high principle, ever ready, as he was highly competent, to show the bearing of scientific investigation upon the ways and Word of Almighty God. In this light he was specially known to the Members and Associates of the Victoria Institute, who will long lament the loss of a true friend and wise counsellor.