REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE PERIOD FROM

29TH AUGUST, 1905, TO 12TH JULY, 1906.

The Report of the Treasurer for the year ended 30th June, 1906, with financial statements, is appended.

The total membership of the Association on the 30th June, 1906, was 1,322, showing a net increase of 33 for the year. Since that date 21 new members, and 36 Associate members have been elected.

With regard to Grants in Aid of Research, the following report is to be made :

(a) Mr. J. Burtt Davy has handed in an interim report on the progress of the "Annotated Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Ferns 'known to occur in the Transvaal." (b) Mr. R. T. A. Innes, to whom a grant of £25 was made in aid of the work of preparing tables of the Barometric Pressures over South Africa and adjacent regions, has submitted the complete tables of his results, which are printed in this Report.

(c) During the past year a grant of £100 was made to Dr. Alexander W. Roberts, of Lovedale, to aid him in his work on Variable Stars. Dr. Roberts has undertaken to have all his observations reduced and ready for the printer within twelve months from the date of the payment of the grant. Owing to Dr. Roberts' absence in Europe, it has not been possible to obtain a report on the progress of his work for this meeting.

(a) Dr. J. D. F. Gilchrist was also granted a sum of £100, with a promise of a further £50 during the current year, to aid in the investigations of the Fresh Water Fishes of South Africa, including those of the Zambesi. The Zoological Section of the British Association has agreed to recommend a grant of £50 from its funds for the purpose of assisting Dr. Gilchrist in these researches. Α preliminary report has been received from Dr. Gilchrist.

The Report of the Meeting of the British Association in South Africa last year has been published, and in accordance with an agreement made with the British Association, your Council has purchased at cost price a supply of these volumes, and Life Members and all those who were elected Members before the 30th

June, 1905, and have paid subscriptions for the two years ended 30th June, 1906, have been presented with a copy.

In connection with the visit of the British Association to South Africa, a Committee of Members of the South African Association was formed at Johannesburg for the purpose of publishing the papers read before the British Association in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The Committee received a guarantee from the Transvaal Government to pay £400 towards the cost of printing. Copies of the majority of the papers contributed were obtained, and under the editorship of Mr. H. T. Montague Bell, the matter has been incorporated into four volumes, which are now in the press in England. The volumes, which will prove of great interest to scientific men in South Africa and elsewhere, are being published at a subscription price of £2 2s. per set.

In commemoration of the visit of the British Association to South Africa, a fund was raised under the initiation of the President of the British Association, for the endowment of a Medal and Scholarship or Studentship for South African Students.

I. The Executive Committee of the Medal Fund have submitted the following recommendations to the subscribers in regard to its award:

(i.) That the Fund, together wth a Die for the Medal be offered to the President and Council of the British Association for transmission to South Africa, subject to the conditions that follow:

(a) That the Fund be devoted to the preparation of a Die for a Medal to be struck in Bronze, 2 inches in diameter; and that the balance be invested and the annual income held in trust.

(b) That the Medal and income of the Fund be awarded by the South African Association for the Advancement of Science for achievement and promise in scientific research in South Africa.

(ii.) That, as far as circumstances admit, the award be made annually.

II. The Council of the British Association has resolved to add the balance (about £800) of the Special South African Fund to the South Africa Medal Fund.

Your Council has unanimously resolved to accept with every gratitude and high appreciation the offer made by the British

Association, and to undertake the administration of the Fund and the award of the Medal, and has submitted to the British Association the names of the following three Trustees :—

The Superintendent-General of Education for the Cape Colony. The Controller and Auditor-General for the Cape Colony. The Registrar of the University of the Cape of Good Hope. As notified in the circulars issued on the 27th January, 1905, and 20th June, 1906, the Council has accepted with many thanks the offer from Mr. E. B. Sargant to pay the sum of £25 for the best essay on "The best means of preserving the traditions and customs of the various South African Native Races in a form available for future Scentific Research." Members and Associates who wish to compete are reminded that papers must be received by the Secretary of the Association by the 1st December next.

An Anthropological Standing Committee consisting of Sir Godfrey Lagden, Dr. S. Schönland, and Mr. von Dessauer, was appointed during the year to consider the preservation of records, histories, etc., of the Native Tribes in South Africa, and the Committee hopes to present at the next Annual Meeting a report on the progress of the work done. 10 has been voted by the Council for expenses incurred, which sum has, however, not yet been utilised.

Mr. T. Reunert has been appointed the convener of an Educa tional Standing Committee which has in view the collection and collating of statistics relating to education in South Africa. Mr. Reunert is obtaining the support and assistance of the several Education Departments, and hopes to submit a report to the Council during the coming year.

The Witwatersrand Council of Education has decided to make a grant of £500 to this Association for furthering a scheme of University Extension Lectures. The administration of the Fund is left unconditionally in the hands of the Johannesburg Members of the Council, who have thankfully accepted the grant.

WM. CULLEN,

J. D. F. GILCHRIST,

12th July, 1906.

Hon. Secretaries.

THE YEAR ENDING 30TH JUNE, 1906.

I have pleasure in submitting the following Report, together with the Financial Statement, for the year ending the 30th June, 1906.

The Statement shows, that considering the exceptional circumstances of the past year, including as it did the visit of the British Association, and the expenditure inseparable from such an undertaking in South Africa, the Association is in a sound financial position. From the Revenue Account it will be noticed that the receipts during the year under review are considerably less than those shown in the preceding account. This may be accounted for mainly by the decrease in the members elected with the consequent decrease in the amounts received from Entrance Fees and Life Membership subscriptions, and the large number of subscriptions which were paid in advance last year, which somewhat abnormally increased the receipts as shown in the previous year's accounts.

The Expenditure during the year just completed, on the other hand, shows a considerable increase over that of the preceding year, due to the visit of the British Association, necessitating a total payment of £920 to that body, as well as increasing the General Expenses, etc., besides an increase in Grants for scientific research of £120; and the printing of the Report for 1905, which in former years has been borne by subscriptions generously given for that purpose.

The Balance Sheet shows that your liabilities are amply covered by your assets, there remaining in the Bank after their payment a sum of £174 19s. 9d., from which will have to be met the expenses of this (Kimberley) Meeting. It will be noticed that nothing has been taken into account for the amount of subscriptions outstanding in arrear which amount to £482, nor has any value been placed upon the volumes of Proceedings (volumes 1 and 2) of which there is a good stock on hand.

The Endowment Fund account, which is credited with all receipts from Entrance Fees and Life Membership subscriptions, now stands at £819, of which amount £700 has been placed by your Trustees on fixed deposit at 4 per cent. per annum. The interest on this sum will be included annually in the Revenue of the Association in accordance with Section 11 (b) of the Constitution.

Assuming that the Members of the Association pay their subscriptions during the coming year, as they have done in the past, I believe it will be possible for the Association at its next Annual General Meeting, to largely increase its grants for scientific research, and thus forward in a very practical way the aims and objects for which it has been founded.

The total Membership of the Association is 1,322, showing a net increase of 33 since the last Report was submitted.

These figures show that taking the population of the country into account, there is ample scope for bringing the Association more prominently before the people of South Africa, and in this manner increasing their interest in the advancement of science.

30th June, 1906.

HOWARD PIM, Hon. Treasurer.

98 0 0

819 0 0

1,251 13 9

HOWARD PIM,