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The deficit to be paid by the Council is less than last year's by 

 £51. The pictures sold during the Exhibitions were of a Catalogue 

 value of £505 17s. od., or £86 in excess of last year, and the number 

 of catalogues sold reached 5,412. The Art Union realised the sum of 

 £75 8s. od., rather less than usual. The Exhibitions have been kept 

 up to their usual standard of merit, and as a proof that the Gallery is 

 growing in popular repute, the Hanging Committee at their last few 

 exhibitions have always had more pictures submitted to them than they 

 were able to hang, a very different state of affairs from that which 

 obtained some few years since. The Spring Exhibition was a specially 

 interesting one, and the thanks of the Committee are due to those 

 gentlemen who kindly lent pictures. A good selection was made from 

 the pictures of the Newlyn School, which had been on exhibition at 

 Nottingham Castle, and a considerable number of pictures came on to 

 us from the Birmingham Winter Exhibition, while the President and 

 Council of the Royal Academy lent us the beautiful Chantrey Bequest 

 picture, " Hopeless Dawn," by Mr. Frank Bramley, A.R.A. For the 

 Summer Exhibition the Committee secured the Third Historical 

 Travelling Collection of Water-Colours from South Kensington 

 Museum, a collection specially interesting from a student's point of 

 view ; and for the Upper Gallery, the collection of pictures by Mr. 

 Byron Cooper, illustrative of Tennysonland. These two collections 

 made a very attractive Exhibition. 



The Autumn Exhibition, now in progress, is fully up to the 

 average in the number and merit of the pictures exhibited, and is 

 especially strong in Water-Colours. During the month it has been 

 open, it has been attended by 6,000 visitors. 



The contents of the four cases lent to the Art Gallery by the 

 Department of Science and Art were changed at the usual time, and 

 the objects now on loan include a case of electrotypes, one of Oriental 

 China, and some very choice specimens of early English iron and wood- 

 work, as well as some very good Indian objects. The Committee 

 again have to acknowledge the ready courtesy of the Department, and 

 the anxiety of the officials to send such specimens as the Committee 

 desire, and more particularly those likely to be useful to the Art 

 Industries of the district. 



The tenth Season of Promenade Concerts took place on the 

 Saturday Evenings of last winter, and repeated the successes of former 



