by the fact that 1,004 books were so bespoken. Our Library stock 

 now shows a percentage of 27.05 to the population, a proportion which 

 compares very favourably with other towns, and the annual turnover 

 of each volume is about the same as last year. I hope on some future 

 occasion to lay before you the number of books in actual use, as there 

 is no doubt that many books are so much dead weight on the shelves, 

 and might fairly, having served their turn and got out of date, give 

 way for others. 



I follow the precedent of the last two years and show here in a 

 table the districts from which the last thousand borrowers come : — 



The second column shows the number that might reasonably be expected 

 per thousand according to proportion of householders. From this it 

 will be seen that Babington, Becket, Friar Gate and Litchurch Wards 

 again furnish considerably more than their share of readers, Derwent 

 Ward is about normal, and the remaining Wards furnish less than their 

 fair proportion, Castle Ward being remarkably low. 



The News Rooms are more largely used than ever, and I have not 

 had a single cause of complaint as to the behaviour of those who frequent 

 them. Indeed, in every part of the Institution, the public show ready 

 compliance with the rules, and I do not know of a single unpleasant 

 circumstance arising from their enforcement. The average daily number 

 of visitors to the building is not less than 1,500, and on Mondays, Fridays, 

 and Saturdays, it is far more. The visitors for the year just closed fall 

 little short of half a million. 



The Museum is, I am sorry to say, still in an unfinished state. The 

 Conchological collection has been arranged and labelled, and the 



