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9 
Railway Company. The Committee has, however, undertaken the re- 
arrangement and thorough overhauling of the Natural History specimens, 
and the Mammals have now been completed. Worthless specimens have 
been rejected, and the whole collection has been thoroughly cleaned and 
put in order, and the cases repapered. ‘The rest of the specimens will be 
dealt with in due course. Visitors to this department are as numerous 
as ever, and the proportion of students is certainly on the increase, 
With regard to the number of visitors to the Institution as a whole, it is 
impossible to tell exactly, but I estimate that at least eight times the whole 
population of the Borough enters our doors during the year. 
As your Librarian, I attended the Annual Conference of the Library 
Association, held this year at Belfast. ‘The proceedings were of more than 
usual interest, and there was a very complete exhibition of Library ap- 
pliances. I had the honour of being elected a member of the Council of 
the Association for the fourth year in succession. 
There has been no change in our staff, I am glad to say, during the 
past year, and I can only repeat what I have said on former occasions as 
to the way in which they discharge their duties. I do not think that 
either the Committee or the public could be better served. In closing, 
I desire once more to place on record my sense of the obligation under 
which I am to the Press of the town and neighbourhood for their hearty 
co-operation and help in everything tending to the good of the Library 
and Museum. To yourselves I also desire to tender my heartiest thanks 
for the ready help and consideration I have always received at your hands, 
which make my work here a pleasure. 
I remain, Gentlemen, 
Very faithfully yours, 
WILLIAM CROWTHER, 
LIBRARIAN AND CURATOR. 
October 29th, 1894. 
