In the year 1884 the annual meeting of the Aeronautical Society was held in the rooms of the Society of Arts on the 2nd July. In those days the Society held one meeting only each year, and there were usually three or four papers read. On this occasion, the chairman was Mr. James Glaisher, F.R.S., and in his opening address he referred to the little progress which had been made during the past year, but drew consolation from the fact that there were still many earnest workers actively employed who were working more persistently and more perseveringly than ever. He also stressed the importance of experiment, stating that although the experimenter might not succeed, he could not make any experiment without increasing our knowledge in the way we desire it to be increased.