Annual Report

1988

Journals G161 H34

London: The Hakluyt Society

The Irish geographer William Desborough Cooley (c.1795–1883) wanted the Society to be called ‘Columbus Society’, perhaps because it reflected an internationalism; his goal may have been attracting American members into the Society. However, sometime between December 1846 and March 1847, Cooley was persuaded to adopt the name ‘Hakluyt Society’. Like any good Society, there are the usual accountabilities. Annual Reports, like this one, provide information on new members, changes (obituaries), financial matters, and often carry the text of a talk recently given.