18 



Art Exhibition is to be opened in the Albert Institute next month. 

 In preparation for this a good many altei'ations are being made on the 

 internal arrangements of the building, and these alterations have neces- 

 sitated the removal of our Museum from the room granted us by the 

 Free Library Board in 1874 to another, newly made, on the attic floor. 

 This removal is understood to be permanent. The arrangement, 

 though an advantage in so far as it does away with the necessity of 

 interfering with our collection during any subsequent Exhibition that 

 may be held in the building, and also in so far as the Society gets the 

 sole use of the room, yet there is connected with it the rather serious 

 disadvantage that the new room is much too small for even our present 

 requirements. At present our collection is in a condition of great dis- 

 order, and it will be a long while ere it can again be put in the same 

 orderly state in which our hard-working Curator and those other gentle- 

 men who assisted him had it before the removal. Our Society is now 

 a large one. Why should we not aim at getting premises of our own 1 

 The present time, when trade is so bad, is perhaps not the best to go 

 actively to work to secure that end, but it is an end which should be 

 kept in view; and so soon as trade improves, and men's minds are 

 relieved from the anxieties which at present assail them, we should 

 work for its attainment. Housed in a home of our own, our Society 

 would have attractions and our members privileges which neither at 

 present possess ; then would we be freed from many drawbacks which 

 affect us now, and only then could we regard our Society as permanently 

 established. 



At the date of last Eeport tlie membership was 460 of all classes ; at 

 this date the Eoll shows 458, or 2 less*. Owing to the depression in 

 trade, Societies of all kinds in Dundee have suffered in their member- 

 ship during the past winter, and in the circumstances, considering our 

 numbers have remained almost stationary, we ought to congratulate 

 ourselves. An analysis of the Eoll shows that we have — 



297 Ordinary Members ; 

 10 Hon. and Cor. Members ; 

 151 Associate „ 



458 



* Since this Report was read the Treasurer exjilaius that the membership for the previous 

 year, 1S77-8, was overstated in the Report for that year. At the time that Report was made 

 he liad not taken off the roll the names of all the defaulters, consequently they are included in 

 the " falling off" sliown above. Keeping this e.xplanatiou in view, it will be understood that, 

 instead of the apparent reduction of two in the membership this year, there is in reality an 

 increase in the numbers since last Eeport. — J. T. 



