asked for, the introduction of spring roller blinds for the 

 protection of the specimens, etc., etc. 



Plans have been adopted for making the institution 

 increasingly educational, as well as adding to the 

 pleasure of visitors, and the extent to which the public 

 have responded is shown by the statistics of attendance 

 given on pages 21 and 47. From these statistics it will 

 be seen that the combined attendances at the Museum 

 and the Art Gallery reached a total of 531,661, again 

 considerably over half a million for the one year. 



The Board of Education have continued to recognise 

 in more ways than one their approval of the efforts of 

 the Committee to keep the institution in the forefront of 

 those which have similar aims. The accounts will show 

 that they have given substantial money grants towards 

 the purchase of specimens, which otherwise there would 

 have been a difficulty in procuring. The Board also lent 

 during the year 84 water-colour paintings of the remains 

 of Pompeii, which proved of great interest, and they 

 have now renewed the contents of four cases in the 

 Central Hall, which display enamels, embroidery, 

 electrotypes of costly specimens at Windsor Castle and 

 the Tower of London, and specimens of majolica ware. 

 They have also lent lor exhibition four cartoons — 

 Raphael, Velasquez, Hogarth, and Grinling Gibbons — 

 which occupy the bays on one side of the Central Hall. 



In concluding this report the Committee wish to 



say that they are much indebted to the efforts of Mr. 



Herbert Bolton, the Curator of the Natural History 



Museum, and Mr. Richard Quick, the Superintendent of 



the Art Gallery and Antiquities, who have done all in 



their power to carry through a successful year's work. 



W. R. BARKER, 



Chairman of the Committee. 

 November, 1908. 



