Mr. President, and Members of the Naval Institute :
I have the honor to submit the following report concerning the affairs of the Naval Institute for the year 1882.
There has been a most gratifying increase in the membership, as will be seen from the following statement:
| Jan. 1, 1882. | Jan. 1, 1883. | Increase. | Decrease. |
Members, | 474 | 547 | 73 | … |
Life members, | 4 | 15 | 11 | ... |
Honorary members, | 6 | 9 | 3 | ... |
Associate members, | 22 | 20 | ... | 2 |
| 506 | 591 | 87 | 2 |
As a matter of interest I submit a table showing the growth of the Institute since January, 1879:
| 1879. | 1880. | 1881. | 1882. | 1883. |
Members, | 253 | 368 | 454 | 474 | 547 |
Life members, | ... | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
Honorary members, | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
Associate members, | 9 | 7 | 19 | 22 | 20 |
Total, | 267 | 382 | 481 | 506 | 591 |
There is no record of membership previous to 1879, and it is to be regretted that the comparison cannot be further extended.
In the Secretary’s last report, Lieut. Chas. Belknap, my predecessor, mentioned the fact that the Secretary of the Navy had subscribed for 50 copies of each number of the Proceedings, permitting 25 copies to be sent to the exchanges of the Institute. I am happy to state that this subscription has been continued, and that it has been supplemented by a subscription from the Bureau of Navigation for 50 copies.
The increased issue of the Proceedings at the present time over January, 1882, is 144 copies, as will be seen from the following statement:
| Jan. 1882 | Jan. 1883 |
Members, .................................... | 474 | 547 |
Life members,............................... | 4 | 15 |
Honorary members,...................... | 6 | 9 |
Associate members,...................... | 22 | 20 |
Corresponding Societies, Home | 10 | 12 |
Corresponding Societies, Foreign, | 10 | 10 |
Periodicals, Home, ........................ | 6 | 7 |
Periodicals, Foreign,....................... | 10 | 8 |
Libraries....................................... | 7 | 8 |
Subscribers.................................. | 6 | 11 |
Navy Department,......................... | 25 | 25 |
Bureau of Navigation, ................... | … | 50 |
| 578 | 722 |
During the past year five members have died and seventeen resigned; none were dropped. Of the associate members, one resigned and one was dropped.
Lieut. J. D. J. Kelly, the Prize Essayist of 1882, has been transferred to Life membership, as have eight other members by payment of the fee required by the Constitution. Two gentlemen from civil life have also become Life members, thus increasing the number from four to fifteen. 104 members have joined, and John D. Jones, Esq., of New York, and Lieut. Alfred Collet, of the French Navy, have been elected to Honorary membership.
Nothing will more prominently show the growing confidence in the permanent success of the Naval Institute than this rapid increase in the roll of life members.
It is with pleasure that I call the attention of members to the unusual demand for the Proceedings during the past year; there have been sold 7 complete sets (Nos. 1 to 18 inclusive) equal to 126 copies; 339 single copies, and 1693 reprints of articles from the Proceedings. One set was presented to John D. Jones, Esq., by vote of the Institute, March 9th, 1882, and one set has been exchanged with the German Hydrographic office for a complete file of its publication. The executive committee has deemed it advisable to purchase back numbers in order to replenish the stock on hand, which is being rapidly depleted, and 80 copies have been so obtained.
The edition of No. 2 having been exhausted, and finding it impossible to obtain any copies by purchase, a second edition of 300 copies is now being printed, with which to meet future demands.
Since January, 1882, four numbers of the Proceedings have been issued, viz. No. 18, completing Vol. VII, 1881, and Nos. 19, 20, 21 of Vol. VIII, 1882. The material for No. 22 is now in the hands of the printer, and it is believed that the number will be ready for issue by February 1st, which will complete Vol. VIII.
Four essays in competition for the Prize of 1883 have been received. The following gentlemen have been invited to serve as the Judges of Award, viz.: Rear-Admiral George H. Preble of the Navy, and the Hon. Alexander H. Rice and Judge Josiah G. Abbott, both of Boston, and I am happy to say, have accepted.
I cannot close this report without publicly rendering thanks to the Corresponding Secretary of the Washington Branch, Lieut. John H. Moore, for his unceasing labors in behalf of the Institute, in obtaining new members, and especially in procuring orders for the sale of Proceedings from the various bureaux of the War and Navy Departments, and from others, which has been of material financial support to the Institute. I am indebted to him for the latest information regarding the official addresses of members, which has enabled me to render more certain the Proceedings reaching those for whom intended.
I have adopted the plan of obtaining receipts for every copy issued, which facilitates the detection of the loss of numbers and the correction of errors.
Very respectfully,
CHARLES M. THOMAS,
Secretary.
Annapolis, Md., January 4th, 1883.