To the Council of the City and County 

 of Bristol. 



ftbe IReport of tbe flDueeum Committee, 



HE present Report, like those which preceded it, is 

 for two years, extending from ist October, 1896, 

 to 30th September, 1898. In future, however, it is the 

 intention of the Committee to present their Report annually. 



The Committee extremely regret that they have at the 

 outset to repeat what has been already communicated to the 

 Council, namely, that on the 21st of May in the past 

 year, Mr. Edward Wilson, F.G.S., the Curator of the 

 Museum, died, after a comparatively short illness. Mr. 

 Wilson was appointed to his position by the former 

 governing body in the year 1884, and was reappointed 

 by the City Council in the year 1894, when the Museum 

 and Library were transferred to the Corporation. At the 

 time of his decease ample evidence was given of the esteem 

 in which Mr. Wilson was held by those whom he formerly 

 served ; and your Committee would here place it upon 

 record that his great aim was to benefit the Museum ; and 

 that he devoted himself to his duties in a most painstaking 

 and self-denying manner, and with distinguished ability. 



As every list of donations shows, Mr. Wilson was 

 accustomed to make frequent and valuable gifts of Geo- 

 logical specimens to the Museum ; and since his death his 



