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the amount given for a certain price, a favourable turn or drawing might add a little to the normal amount. With reference to the ever-changing stock in Japanese toy shops, battledores making way for kites, and kites for tops, &c., all well-to-do toy-sellers kept supplies of toys in season, and when out of season these toys were placed in their godowns, and were on sale only at certain seasons. The stock in the godown of a native toy-seller was always far larger than that displayed in his shop.
At the close of the evening, Professor Ayrton apologising for detaining the meeting, remarked that he would like to ask the Secretary whether it might not be advisable that a printed notice containing the name of the paper to be read and the author, or at any rate the former, should be sent to all the members of the Society a few days before each meeting. He was aware, that this information was given in the Yokohama newspapers, but as their delivery in Tokei was frequently very irregular, the members resident in that city often up to the hour of meeting, did not know the subject to be discussed. As an instance he would mention that he himself was not aware that the paper for that evening was on “The Toys and Games of Japanese children” until he heard Mr. Griffis read the title on commencing his paper. The great importance of papers read at such Societies as the Asiatic was the discussion to which they gave rise. This had been so fully realised by the “Institution of Civil Engineers” and the “Society of Telegraph Engineers” of London that they frequently distributed to all the members likely to be present printed copies in full of the papers that were going to be read, in order that preparations might be made for the discussion, this of course, might be out of place in so young a Society as this, still he thought acquainting all members with the business of the evening would tend to make the discussions more valuable, and would also tend, perhaps, to increase the attendance of members residing at a distance. The extra labour incurred by carrying out his suggestion would, he considered, be trifling if a stock of envelopes bearing printed on them each member’s name and address were kept ready for the enclosure of a small printed notice.
This matter having been referred to the Council the Meeting terminated.
