[From Mannin #6, 1914]

Annual Meeting of the Manx Society.

THE sixteenth Annual Meeting of The Manx Society was held on Hollantide Day in the Town Hall, Douglas.

In the absence of the President, Mr. W. Walter Gill was voted to the chair.

An address was read from the President (Mr. W. H. Gill), in which he congratulated the Society on its notable efforts in the T. E. Brown celebrations and the Forbes’ Centenary,-- efforts particularly deserving of praise in this year of great distraction. He also paid tribute to Miss Morrison’s labours in the periodical production of MANNIN. In his own special field of research he had not been idle, and he believed that his studies in the British Museum library would result in a new departure in the modus operandi of folk-song fishing in general, and Manx folk-song in particular.

In the course of the Secretary’s report, Miss Morrison recalled with honour the names of the members of the Society who had given their lives for their country—Lieut. Malcolm Blane, all ardent and promising young Cdt ; 2nd Lieut. Leslie Eastwood, an old K. W. C. boy ; and Private Andrew Quane, of the New Zealanders, Various members were on service—Captain A. S. Collard, J.P., Lieut. Brandreth, Lieut. Barry, Sergt. -Major Meyer, Lance-Corporal Crellin, Mr. John Palmer, R.A.M.C., and Mr, S. Harrison, Monmonth Engineers ; Messrs A. Knox and J. J. Kneen were on duty at Knockaloe Camp. Miss Mildred Moore had lately returned from her good work in Serbia, and Misses Thora Stowell, and Kate Morrison had been doing Red Cross work at Aboukir. She alluded to the work of the late Canon Savage, one of the founders of the Society. On the anniversary of the Poet’s birth, a leather-bound copy of the poems of T. E. Brown had been presented to each school in the Island, and its presentation had been made the occasion of an appropriate ceremony. MANNIN, the journal of the Society, was becoming more widely known and appreciated. There was an increase in the subscription list, and Press notices had been very favourable. Among the contributions to its pages, special mention might, perhaps, be made of the George Borrow Diary. Mr. Cubbon’s interesting booklet on Edward Forbes had been published by the Isle of Man Antiquarian Society, and Mr. P W. Caine’s collection of unpublished carvals would shortly appear in book form. The Misses Brown were allowing the Society to collect, with a view to publication, their father’s prose articles, lectures, and stories, In connection with the Manx music classes at the Guild, the Society had again added to its output of Manx music and words. The Peel Players’ revenue had been devoted to war objects, so that their work had been somewhat curtailed for lack of funds.

Mr. Cubbon presented the balance-sheet, which showed that the year was commenced with a balance in hand of £25 1s. 3d., and ended with one of £1 16s. 3d. The chief reason for this difference was the fact that the Society had wiped out the loss on Nos. I., II., and III., of MANNIN, amounting to £21, and had made a donation of £2 2s. towards the cost of the Forbes Memorial. Miss Morrison had now undertaken the financial responsibility for the production of MANNIN. In addition, the Society had spent more on publications than usual. The T. E. Brown Celebration had almost paid its way, the cost of books having amounted to £27 19s., and the receipts to £26 10s. 2d. The subscriptions were larger than they had ever been, and the sales of the Society’s publications had also been larger.

On the motion of Messrs. Broadbent and Kelly, the report was adopted.

The officers of the preceding year were re-elected en bloc, as follows :—President, Mr. W. H. Gill ; vice-presidents—The Ven. Archdeacon, the Rev. J. J. Karran, the Rev C. H. Leece, Dr. Marshall, Mr. T. Moore, and Mr. W. W. Gill ; members of the committee—Canon R. D. Kermode, M.A., Messrs J. J. Kneen, S. K. Broadbent, W. A. Craine, H. P. Kelly, B.A,, P. W. Caine, and C. B.. Shimmin ; hon treasurer, Mr. W. Cubbon ; hon. secretary, Miss S. Morrison ; hon. auditor, the Ven. Archdeacon; editor of MANNIN, Miss S Morrison.

Miss Morrison, the secretary of the Society, was presented with a volume of the collected poems of T. E. Brown, bearing an illuminated frontispiece, containing a small water-colour of Peel Castle, and an appropriate inscription, the work of Mr. Leach. Mr. Kelly, who made the presentation, spoke in most appreciative terms of Miss S. Morrison’s work as secretary of the Manx Society and editor of MANNIN.

Messrs Cubbon and Caine expressed themselves similarly, and letters containing eloquent appreciation of Miss Morrison’s work were read from the Rev. E. H. Savage, Mr.J. J. Kneen, Mr. G. F. Clucas, Miss Kermode, Miss Mona Douglas, Rev. W. Cooke, Mr. P. M. C. Kermode, Mr. W. H. Gill, and the Ven. Archdeacon.

Miss Morrison suitably responded.

The meeting terminated with a hearty vote of thanks to the chairman.