To the Council of the City and County 

 of Bristol. 



IReport of tbe Committee. 



T the close of the first complete year of the ad- 

 ministration of the combined Museum and Art 

 Gallery, and after the first novelty of the opening of the 

 Art Gallery has worn off, the Committee are better able 

 to speak of the position occupied by the institution at 

 the present time, and to forecast what its future will be. 

 Upon both these points their experience leads to a 

 satisfactory conclusion. The readiest test that can be 

 applied is a consideration of the tables of attendances for 

 the year. These show that there were 188,519 visitors 

 to the Museum of Natural History, and 393,730 to the 

 Art Gallery, or a combined total of 582,249 — more than 

 half a million. This compares favourably with the 

 registered attendances at other institutions of the same 

 kind, including those of a national character, and shows 

 an amount of appreciation and interest on the part of 

 the public that is really astonishing. 



