ciety, with its wonted liberality, has presented thirteen hundred Irish, and one thousand English Testaments. In Ireland, the Roscommon Auxili. ary Bible Society, on the recommendation of the Bishop of Elphin, has favoured this institution with eight hundred Testaments, and the Sligo Branch Society with three hundred Testa ments. The enlarged operations of the society during the last year, have produ ced an increase of above 7000 pupils in the schools under its patronage, which now present an aggregate of upwards of 19,000 scholars of both sexes, who are partaking the privileges of education, and the blessings of scriptural instruction, at the expence of this institution. Another point is, that applications for opening additional schools, and facilities for extending this important and benevolent system to other countries, than those which have hitherto been benefitted by it, are continually presented to the views and and wishes of the committee; but these they cannot venture to prosecute until the pecuniary concerns of the society shall receive such a necessary and ap. propriate increase, as shall enable the committee to discharge the present debt to the treasurer, and also afford them fair and just encouragement to extend the operations of the society. George Forbes, Esq. Banker, Edin- Charles Lennox Cumming, Esq. of Walter Campbell, Esq. of Shawfield. John Campbell, Esq. of Saddell. 3 2 6 476 3 0 1245 14 10 tions. Auxiliary Societies Congregational Collections 145 9 2 Collection at Annual Meeting 42 18 11 Balance due to Treasurer 624 3 6 James Stewart Hall, Esq. late of India. L.3352 15 4 Major Archibald Menzies, 42d, or Royal Highlanders. George More Nisbett, Esq. of Cairnhill. Andrew Skene, Esq. of Lethinty. Robert Sutherland, Esq. of the Island of St Vincent's. George Augustus Borthwick, M. D. Edinburgh. Donald Horne, Esq. Writer to the Signet. Hugh Tod, Esq. Writer to the Signet. Thomas Fraser, Esq. Royal Navy, Peter Macdowall, Esq. Accountant, James Scott, Esq. Accountant, Edinburgh. Archibald Duncan, Esq. Edinburgh. Donald Stewart, Esq. Factor on the estate of Harris. Mr Innes, the Treasurer, submitted to the meeting the state of the society's funds, its income, and expenditure last year, from an accurate report and state thereof, prepared by Mr Robert Wilson, accountant in Edinburgh, the Society's auditor of accounts. Upon recapitulating the abstract of the receipts and payments under their different heads, it appeared that the expenditure in the course of the year, had exceeded the income; this, Mr Innes remarked, was, in some measure, owing to the expences at London, connected with the bill for obtaining an Equalization of Weights and Measures, and some other matters which did not usually occur in the course of the annual expenditure, but was more particularly to be attributed to the circumstance of the parliamentary grant to the society having ex pired in 1815, and which had not yet been renewed. The meeting expressed their particular approbation of the distinct and accurate statement of the funds which had been made by the treasurer; and, upon his motion, the society voted a sum to be laid out by the directors in promoting the objects of the institution, by premiums in 1817. Mr Innes also reported, that the society, finding a considerable sum of arrears was due by several of its members liable in the annual payments of L.1: 3: 6d. had appointed a committee, to facilitate the recovery of these arrears; this committee, of which Vans Hathorn, Esq. of Garthland, is convener, addressed letters to these gentlemen, and most of them had in consequence paid up their subscriptions. There were, however, certain members who had not settled their arrears, and the committee had in consequence recommended, that the few reported to be in this situation should be struck off the roll of the society's members, unless they should pay their subscriptions on or before a day to be fixed by this meeting. The society approved of the steps taken by the committee, and directed intimation to be made to these members, that should their arrears not be paid on or before the 1st day of April next, the measure recommended in the committee's report would be definitively adopted. The proceedings of the directors since the general meeting in July last, with the sums awarded by them to competitors for the several classes of premiums offered in 1816, were thereafter submitted by the Secretary to the meeting, and approved. From this report, it appeared that the directors had appropriated the sum placed at their disposal last year-1st, For essays containing information on various subjects. 2d, In encouraging the cultivation of green crops in those dis ts of the country where the imved system of husbandry was less erally practised or understood. For improving the breed of black tle and horses in a variety of dists. 4th, In premiums to ploughfor improvement in ploughing ere such encouragements were still sidered beneficial or neccessaryth certain other premiums less geal in their application or adapted peculiar local circumstances. From e proceedings, it appeared that very rticular attention had been paid by e conveners and resident members to e black cattle and ploughing cometitions held in their respective disicts; and that several public-spirited dividuals, as well as local agricultul associations, had given certain preiums competed for at the same time; mong the former, the Secretary menoned that the Marquis of Stafford in utherlandshire-the Marquis of Bute Bute-and the Marquis of Douglas 1 Arran, had respectively bestowed ums in premiums, which were competed for at the same time with those ffered by the society in these dis. ricts. The premiums awarded, with he names of the successful competiors, were ordered to be published in the usual manner. The meeting reerred to the proper committee the numerous requests for premiums to be offered this year, with instructions to attend to these applications so far as is practicable, and as the sum placed at their disposal will admit. Henry Mackenzie, Esq. from the special committee appointed by the directors to consider of any useful measures which it might be in the power of the society to take in consequence of the injury the crop of last year had sustained, particularly in the high and late districts of the country, from frost and other varieties of bad weather-reported, that the committee had already circulated such informa tion as the society was possessed of, in regard to restoring potatoes which had been partially injured by frosts, and that the attention of the committee had also, in a more particular manner, been directed to the subject of seed corn, and he had the satisfaction of submitting to the society certain suggestions extracted from the communications of two eminent and respectable members extremely conversant in the subject, the late Benjamin Bell, Esq. and Dr Coventry, founded upon a variety of experiments made by them, calculated to warn agricul turists, particularly those of the higher districts, where faulty corn of crop 1816 is most likely to be found, against the use of bad or weak seed, and to possess them of the best means which it is believed have yet been discovered of trying grain intended to be sown, so as to judge of its comparative qualities for seed corn. The meeting directed the important suggestions contained in this paper to be printed, and immediately circulated for the information of the public. It was reported to the meeting from the committee on kelp, of which John Tait, Esq. is convener, that two very valuable essays, founded on an extensive chemical analysis of numerous varieties of this article, had been offered in competition for one of the premiums held out in the advertisement of last year. That the committee had awarded the premium of fifty guineas advertised, to Dr Andrew Fyfe, junior, Edinburgh; and considering the other essay by Mr Samuel Parkes, of London, also to possess a great degree of merit, particularly in pointing out the various uses to which the component parts of kelp might be advantageously applied, they had resolved to vote a premium of twenty-five guineas to the author. The society remitted these papers, together with a report by the Kelp Committee in reference thereto, to the Standing Committee on Publications. present regulations were such as to render unprofitable, if not impracticable, the use of small stills; that their general introduction was essential to the suppressing of smuggling, and to fulfil the intention of the legislature, in passing the recent act: That the restrictions complained of might be mo rer, without injuring the revenue: That copies of the resolutions, signed by the Vice-President in the Chair, should be transmitted to the Chairman of the Board of Excise, Edinburgh, and to his Grace the Duke of Atholl, Chairman of the Committee at London, according to whose suggestions the Distillery Act was framed. The proceedings of the Committee on Machinery were next submitted to the meeting, and in terms of recent reports by that committee, approved by the directors, the meeting voted the following premiums and honorary marks of the society's approbation :-dified, so as to relieve the manufactu viz. The society's gold medal to Sir Alexander Gordon, for certain improvements made by him in the construction of wheel carriages, particularly his invention of a spring draught gauge for ascertaining the power of draught animals, on a new principle.To John Graham Dalyell, Esq. advovate, for a self-regulating calendar (or mangle) on an ingenious and new principle, invented by him, the society's gold medal; and to Mr Samuel Morton, agricultural implement maker, Leith Walk, on account of the invention of his revolving Brake Harrow, or weed extirpator, a premium of ten guineas. J. H. Forbes, Esq. convener of the Committee on the Distillery Laws, after adverting to the measures which had formerly been adopted by the society to procure an alteration in these laws stated, that the operation of the late act had increased the revenue and diminished smuggling in a very great degree, but had not succeeded in wholly suppressing it, principally from certain regulations and restrictions which it required, having been found in practice so ill suited to the use of small stills, as completely to prevent their general establishment. MrForbes then submitted to the meeting resolutions embracing the substance of a report by the committee, and approved by the directors, stating the satisfaction with which the society had witnessed the exertions of the landholders, in suppressing illicit distillation, and the success which had attended them, the conviction of the society that the Thomas Mackenzie, Esq. younger of Applecross, in seconding the resolutions, stated, that the adoption of the alterations contemplated by the committee, would not only render practicable the use of forty-gallon stills, but would facilitate the operation of large stills; and laid before the meeting a model of the apparatus at present required, which he had received from the Duke of Atholl. After some discussion, in which Sir Patrick Walker, Sir William Honyman, Mr Forbes, and Mr T. Mackenzie participated, in the course of which it was stated by the three latter gentlemen, that no alteration of the general principles, but merely of some of the regulations of the late act, was contemplated by the committee, and that very accurate inquiries had shewn that the obstacles to the general establishment of fortygallon stills had arisen mainly from the nature of the regulations, though they had certainly been increased by the backwardness of the harvest, and general want of capital-the resolutions were adopted by the meeting. Henry Mackenzie, Esq. Chairman of the Committee on Celtic Literature, employed in the compilation and publication of a proper Dictionary of that cient and expressive Language, subtted to the meeting the recent proedings of that committee, with a mite and distinct report by the Reverend r Macleod, who had been intrusted ith the chief conduct of the work, of e progress made in the compilation, companied by specimens by the Docor and Mr E. Maclachlan, of Old berdeen. From these it appeared, that great dvancement had been made by the ompilers, and that they were proeeding with diligence in their arduus undertaking. The Chairman stated, hat the former grant by the Society owards this object having expired, it would now be matter for the deliberaion of the meeting, from the information before them, to determine whether and to what extent the Society's pecuniary support was to be afforded to a work which was calculated to fix and illustrate a language confessedly ancient, and so much connected with general literature, as well as with the history and manners of our ancestors. Upon hearing Mr Mackenzie's statement, with some observations by Mr Boswell of Auchinleck, and considering the papers referred to in respect of the progress made in the compilation-the extent of the subscription already obtained—and the liberal contribution of 50%. annually, agreed to be continued by Sir John Macgregor Murray, Bart. towards this objectthe meeting, upon the suggestion of the committee, approved by the directors, resolved also to continue the sum formerly allowed by the society for two years longer, as there was every prospect, from the state of the subscription, that the society would not be called upon to defray any farther expence which the compilation and publication of the work might require. It was reported from the Standing VOL. X. PART II. Committee on Publications, that suf ficient materials being now in possession of the society, to form a number or part of a 5th volume of Transac tions, the same would be prepared for the press as speedily as possible. The meeting recommended that the essay by W. Fraser Tytler, Esq. Sheriffdepute of the county of Inverness, on saving corn in the feeding of horses, for which the premium of twenty guineas advertised, had been awarded last year, should be included in this number. Several recent communications from the Right Honourable, Sir John Sinclair, Bart. were laid before the soci ety-among these the introduction and two first parts of "A Code of Agriculture," about to be published by him, and a publication on the State of the Country in December 1816, the object of which last is to shew, from official documents laid before Parliament, the superior importance of agriculture, and its particular claims to the attention of the legislature, in its present state of depression.. The meeting referred these communications to the consideration of the Directors, and unanimously voted the thanks of the Society to Sir John Sinclair, for his uniform and unremitting attention to the interests of agriculture. Sir George Clerk, in reference to the proceedings had in Parliament, for obtaining an equalization of weights and measures, stated, that not having had an opportunity of attending last general meeting of the society, he now considered it proper to explain the cause which was understood chiefly to have led to the rejection of the bill, in the House of Lords, which had been passed unanimously by the House of Commons. This was understood principally to have arisen from the circumstance of the measure not having H |