287 



down their names had not paid their subscriptions, and the time ne- 

 cessary for collecting the money would have exceeded the limit to 

 which the Committee had bound themselves to Mrs. Dawson ; and 

 thus she would have been left at liberty to take other means for 

 disposing of the Museum. It is necessary, therefore, that the Aca- 

 demy should know that the gentlemen who came forward to rescue 

 the Committee from a dilemma which would have made vain all 

 their previous exertions, and to whom we are therefore so particu- 

 larly indebted for the great step that has been made towards the 

 formation of a National Museum, are George Carr.Esq., Dr. Aquilla 

 Smith, Professor Mac CuUagh, Thomas Hutton, Esq., and Robert 

 Callwell, Esq. 



" The thanks of the Academy are also due to Mr. Clibbom for 

 his invaluable services throughout the whole of these transactions, 

 and particularly in the last stage of them, when it became necessary 

 to make exertions to call in the subscriptions that had been pro- 

 mised, and to take steps, after the Museum had come into our pos- 

 session, for the arrangement and safe keeping of its contents. To 

 him also we are indebted for the ingenious plan for a new Board 

 Room, which has received the approval of the Council, and is sub- 

 mitted to your consideration this evening : a plan which will enable 

 us to convert the room in which we are now assembled into a Mu- 

 seum, where the treasures of which we are now the guardians, may 

 be displayed in a manner useful to the public, and their permanent 

 security duly provided for. 



" The special thanks of the Academy are also due to Messrs. 

 Boyle, Low, Pim, and Co., who kindly permitted subscriptions to 

 be paid at their house, without any charge whatsoever to the fund ; 

 and who also oflPered to advance to the Committee any sum that might 

 be required as a temporary accommodation, during the necessary 

 delay that attended the collection of the subscriptions. This liberal 

 offer the Committee were compelled to avail themselves of, by 

 drawing upon Messrs. Boyle and Co. for a sum of £53 15«. 5d. on 

 the 1 st of June last, a sum which was not entirely repaid for up- 

 wards of two months afterwards. 



" It is proper to mention here, that His Excellency Earl De 

 Grey, in addition to his subscription to the fund for the purchase of 



