REPORT. 



During the past year the position of the Institution has assumed a 

 new aspect. From a temporary and circumscribed locahty it has been 

 transferred to a noble building, in a prominent and conspicuous situa- 

 tion, with greatly enlarged accommodation for the Reference Library 

 and Museum. Some time after the opening necessarily elapsed before 

 the Books could be rearranged, and the required accommodation 

 provided. 



On the 3rd of December the Reference Library and Reading Room 

 were thrown open, since which date the crowded state of the rooms has 

 sufficiently proved the public appreciation of the efforts made for the 

 mental culture of all classes. The results will be shewn below, under 

 their respective heads. 



REFERENCE LIBRARF. 



An interval having necessarily intervened between the closing of 

 the old Library and the opening of the new one, the statistics of nine 

 months only can be given, to the close of the municipal year. The 



