amounts as have been paid, in a manner which appeared satisfactory to the representatives of the Institutes at the meeting held in London.

The Council wish to record their great appreciation of the care and skill displayed by Mr. Garforth in providing an experimental gallery for the purpose of testing apparatus for life-saving in collieries, and the opportunity given to members of this Institute to test the same.

The prize for the best paper read before the Institute has been awarded to Mr. W. E. Garforth for his admirable paper on "The Application of Coal-cutting Machines to Deep Mining.'

With a view to increasing the intercourse between those directly interested in the coal-fields of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, the Presidents of the Midland Counties Institution of Engineers and of this Institute held a Joint Meeting of the two Councils, when it was resolved that a committee should be appointed to arrange for Joint Meetings of the two Institutes.

The Council have appointed a Committee to collect from members, and from others, who are willing to give the information, detailed sections of the strata bored and sunk through at the various collieries in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with a view of having them tabulated and printed in a suitable volume in the same way as has been done by the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, and when completed, of issuing a copy to each member. The Committee would be obliged for any assistance that the members can give them in this work.

The Council suggest that an excursion should be arranged to visit the Düsseldorf Exhibition and some of the most interesting German collieries. The excursion will take place on or about September 5th, for a week or ten days, and will also be open to the members of the Midland Counties Institution of Engineers.

The report and accounts were unanimously approved.

MIDLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING, CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. GENERAL STATEMENT, 1901-1902.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 1902-1903.

The SCRUTINEERS reported the result of the election, as follows:

PRESIDENT :

Mr. H. B. NASH.

VICE-PRESIDENTS:

Mr. J. E. CHAMBERS. | Mr. WALTER HARGREAVES. | Mr. J. R. ROBINSON WILSON.

Mr. E. BROWNE.

Mr. H. ST. JOHN DURNFORD.
Mr. P. C. GREAVES.
Mr. M. H. HABERSHON.

COUNCILLORS.

Mr. I. HODGES.

Mr. R. H. LONGBOTHAM.
Mr. J. L. MARSHALL.
Mr. W. H. PICKERING.

Mr. R. ROUTLEDGE.
Mr. CHARLES SNOW.
Mr. W. WASHINGTON.
Mr. WILLIAM WILDE.

Mr. JOHN GERRARD (retiring President), in vacating the chair, regretted that the period, to which he looked forward two years ago, was now ended. It had been to him a great honour to be elected President, and he appreciated it very highly. He expressed his gratitude for the cheerful goodwill shown towards him by the members, and to the Secretary (Mr. T. W. H. Mitchell) for his valuable assistance. He had pleasure in introducing Mr. Nash, who would, he was sure, receive the same hearty support that he had done; and heartily congratulated Mr. Nash on having attained to that distinction, and wished him a successful term of office.

The PRESIDENT (Mr. H. B. Nash) said that he appreciated the honour conferred upon him by his election as President of the Institute. He considered it an honour to have the confidence of the members; and he hoped that his health would permit him to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. He hoped that the interest which he had always taken in the success of the Institute would continue to grow, and that the good work done in the past would not stop through his occupancy of the chair.

Mr. W. E. GARFORTH moved a vote of thanks to Mr. John Gerrard for the able way in which he had conducted the proceedings of the Institute during his two years of office. The members would agree that, from the time Mr. Gerrard read his presidential address, he had in every possible way helped the work of the Institute, and was entitled to their best thanks.

Mr. J. NEVIN, in seconding the vote of thanks, said that Mr. Gerrard had been one of the most active members of the Institute almost from its formation; and, although he had gone into Lancashire, he still maintained his interest in their Institute. The members would agree that the two years of Mr. Gerrard's presidency were among the most successful years of the Midland Institute of Mining, Civil and Mechanical Engineers.

The vote of thanks was cordially approved.

REPRESENTATIVES ON THE COUNCIL OF THE INSTITUTION OF MINING ENGINEERS, 1902-1903. The SCRUTINEERS reported that the following gentlemen had been elected:

Mr. W. H. PICKERING (H.M. Inspector of Mines) read the following "Notes on Systematic Timbering":