1. Mr. Ruskin, on taking the chair as announced, said that, in being permitted to introduce Mr. Street to the meeting, it was no part of his duty to insist on the value or interest of the present collection. Its usefulness must be patent to all; and, for the rest, it had been explained in a most admirable manner by their excellent chairman at the last meeting of the Society. He might, however, be permitted to detain the assembly for a few minutes, whilst referring to a principal feature in the collection of photographs. The attention of the Society had been mainly devoted to two Italian cities, which were interesting, not only in consequence of their past history, but of their present political position. Not only at this moment, but for many years to come, these two cities, Venice and Verona, must be in constant danger of almost total destruction, in the event of any political movements taking place in Italy. The military preparations that had been made by Austria rendered this almost a matter of certainty. The Austrian guns bore straight down on the façade of the Ducal Palace and on the very centre of the town of Verona, and it mainly depended on chance whether that palace might not be shaken into the dust almost before any effort could be made to remove the causes that would give occasion for such an exhibition of authority.