12 REPORT OF THE 



The meeting will recollect that in 1838 some Members of 

 the Society purchased three houses in Marygate, on the line 

 of the ancient boundary wall of St. Mary's Abbey ; during 

 the past year an opportunity unexpectedly presented itself of 

 T> obtaining possession of seven other houses adjoining the 



f former, and with them reaching from the gateway to nearly 



the lower end of the street. Impressed with the importance 

 of preventing on this line any change which might be detri- 

 mental to the Society''s property, the Members of the Council 

 undertook individually the responsibility of the purchase, and 

 summoned a Special General Meeting of the Members in the 

 month of June to determine whether the Society should take 

 on itself the contracts for the whole or any portion of these 

 ten housefe. At that meeting it was resolved that the Coun- 

 cil should be authorized to purchase such of the houses on 

 the boundary line, as they might think useful for the improve- 

 ment of the grounds ; in consequence the Council have caused 

 the ten houses to be regularly transferred to the Trustees of 

 the Society. The cost of the purchase is .^720. Ss. 9d., the 

 annual rent receivable is £38. 



Charged with the execution of an expensive alteration 

 of roads and tenures, the Income of the Society has been 

 inadequate to allow of purchases for the augmentation of 

 any department of the Museum. It was, however, impos- 

 sible to avoid some other considerable expenses. Some parts 

 of the buildings belonging to St. Mary's Abbey have been 

 repaired ; the houses purchased in Marygate have been put 

 in tenantable condition ; the injurious effects of the great 

 storm of last winter on the Museum building have been re- 

 medied ; and the Council have felt it right to recommend 

 that the expenses of printing and advertising the Subscrip- 

 tion Lists for restoring the Hospitium (<£*30.) should be de- 

 frayed by the Society. The Treasurer's General Account 

 and the Analysis of Disbursements during the past year, 



