COUNCIL FOR 1843. 9 



ordinary expenditure has been somewhat increased by certain repairs 

 which it has been found necessary to effect. Seventy-five pounds 

 have been expended in extra works ; and a donation of £10. has been 

 made towards presenting a testimonial to Mr. A. Ryland, of Bir- 

 mingham, for his services in obtaining the Act of Parliament before 

 mentioned. Notwithstanding this extra expense, the balance against 

 the Society at its bankers has been further reduced to a small extent, 

 and now amounts to the sum of £1064. 16s. 2d. 



'\^^lilst on the subject of finance, the Council cannot refrain from 

 adverting to the splendid bequest which has been made to the Society 

 by their late esteemed Vice-President, Dr. Beckwith. This Princely 

 Legacy, which in conjunction with his other liberal bequests will 

 render the name of Dr. Beckwith revered as the greatest benefactor 

 to the charities and pubUc institutions of the City of York, will go 

 far towards relieving the Society from those difiiculties under which 

 it has laboured ever since its first formation ; although in accordance 

 with a stipulation in the will, the legacy is not to be applied to the 

 payment of any part of the heavy debt of the Society. At the 

 special request of Dr. Beckwith, the income arising from this legacy 

 is, in the first place, to be expended in building a house upon the 

 Society's property, as a residence for the Sub-Curator. This outlay is 

 very desirable, as the rooms at present occupied by him are from 

 their situation extremely damp and unhealthy ; and the Council have 

 only been deterred from undertaking it hitherto, by the expense 

 which a suitable building would entail. It will be hereafter the 

 duty of the Council, in the appropriation of this increase of income, 

 to render the Museum and Gardens as interesting as possible to 

 the members and the pubhc. 



The money received for tickets of admission to the Gardens and 

 Museum during the past twelve months, has not been quite equal to 

 the amount of the previous year ; but the small deficiency is less than 

 might have been expected, considering the unprecedented depression 

 under which the trade of the country has of late laboured. 



On Whit-Monday and Tuesday, the Gardens and Museum were 

 as usual, thrown open to the Public, and visited by a large concourse 

 of persons. The Officers and Privates of the Yorkshire Hussars 

 were likewise permitted to have free access to the Museum, during 

 the period of their service in York. 

 c 



