Ladies and Gentlemen,—When your Council first asked me to read a paper before you, I must admit that I was a little bit nonplussed, for neither am I a professional nor a professing musician; and, though it occurred to me that there might lurk behind the invitation some distant hint that I should discuss Wagner or “Wagnerism,” yet I felt somewhat loth to venture among you with my crude ideas upon his musical form. My next thoughts turned to the dramas, on which subject I did, perhaps, feel a little more at home, having devoted a certain amount of time to an attempt at getting to the bottom of them; but would they be quite an appropriate topic on which to hold forth before a musical Association ? Well, perhaps not. Then Bayreuth and the method of performance there ? No, again; for most of you must have already been there, and would be better qualified than myself to give a technical opinion. There thus was only one subject left to me, and that was the Prose writings. I almost feared, at first, that even this subject might not be acceptable, as those writings do not deal in any special manner with the Theory of music; but I was reassured when your Secretary kindly sent me a copy of last year's “Proceedings,” and I there found that you admitted the “History of Music and other kindred subjects.” It seemed to me that there was so benignant a latitudinarianism in the expression “other kindred subjects,” that I finally made up my mind to accept your hospitable invitation and unbosom myself—perhaps I ought to say, un-brain myself—of a few thoughts on what for some time past has been to me an engrossing topic—namely, Richard Wagner's Prose. This subject, however, is so vast that any half-hour's paper can barely touch the fringe of it. I must therefore apologise in advance if I hurry you at a breakneck pace from one aspect to another, and only give a glimpse of each.