EIGHTH REPORT. 



The Whitby Literary and Philosophical 

 Society has now existed for eight years, and 

 its annual Reports cannot now be expected 

 to present much that is novel or striking. A 

 few things, however, deserve to be noticed in 

 the history of the Society during the past year. 



The financial difficulties of the Society, 

 occasioned by the expensive improvements 

 made in the Museum three years ago, were 

 alluded to in the last Report. The attention 

 of the Council for this year was early directed 

 to the subject; and as several tradesmen's 

 bills were found to be unpaid, part of them 

 of long standing, it was necessary to take 

 some steps for discharging them* At first the 

 Council proposed, that twenty or more Mem- 

 bers of the Society should agree to lend the 

 Institution five pounds each, without interest, 

 to be paid off from year to year as the finances 

 improve. But as only a few were found will- 

 ing to enter into this plan, the Council were 

 compelled to abandon it, and to adopt the 

 expedient of borrowing money at interest, to 

 pay the bills which had been so long due. 



