greatly improved. The Rev. J. A. Hatchard had given another successful reading, and the two Readings had realised a profit of £12. This, with the Rev. Tilson Marsh’s £5 for life-membership and Mr. G. H. M. Wagner’s £5 for life-membership, together with the ordinary payments of members, brought up the Treasurer’s receipts to £40 8s 1d. This sum had met the quarter’s expenses, had cleared off £17, odd due to the Treasurer, and left a residue of 9d in hand. There were still outstanding liabilities of about £32, including £15 for alterations, which it was hoped would be gradually cleared off as rent became due. The disappointments had been in connection with lectures. Mrs. Balfour, through illness had been unable to give her two lectures, the advertising of which had caused a loss of £2. The Rev J. R. Cooper had given a lecture on “The Moral Influence of Science”, which, financially, did not meet the small expenses; and a promised lecture “On Spain” by F. North, Esq., M.P. was unavoidably postponed.
The next Quarterly Meeting was on the 9th of August, when the Committee reported a further falling off of members the then number being 117. The receipts had been £20 15s 4d, and the disbursements £20 6s 10d, thus leaving 8/5 in hand, whilst the outstanding liabilities had been reduced to £29. The overhead tenants (Messrs Sexty and Robinson) had vacated the rooms agreeably to notice, and the committee had appointed Mr. Walter Carey to take charge of the Institution in lieu of a person residing on the premises. The Rev. J. A Hatchard had attended the Annual Conference of the Society of Arts, as the Institution’s representative; and Messrs. Wrench and McGowan had consented to fill the Librarian’s office. Arthur Burton, Esq. had presented the Institution with 54 volumes of excellent books, including The Camden Societys Transactions, Hume’s History of England (8 vols) Hutton’s Mathematical Dictionary, Sir W. Jones’s Works (8 vols), Johnson’s Dictionary, Saunders’s Algebra, Marshall, on Landed Property, Perry’s French Revolutions, and a volume of plates illustrating Anson’s voyages. The Annual Meeting was held on the 15th of November, and from the Committee’s report it was apparent that though the prospect was not depressing, it was less encouraging than was desired. The subscribing members (114) were fewer by three than they were at the previous quarter. There was a balance due to the Treasurer, of £1 6s 9d and the outstanding liabilities amounted to about £30. The upper rooms having been vacant, no rent, of course, had been received. Walter Carey had resigned the charge of the Institution, and William Shaw (letter-carrier) and his wife had undertaken the same, with residence in a portion of the premises. The other rooms were now let to Mrs. Herbert. The officers elected for the ensuing year were -
