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REPORT OF SOCIETY’S MEETINGS. 177 
i a 
was given to the local authorities to levy rates for their 
support. He would not say whether the same should be 
done here, or whether the Government should doit. He 
thought the colony should have a public library, and he 
would suggest that the nucleus might be found within 
the walls of that room. The Society might confine 
itself to maintaining what it was specially charged with— 
a colleGtion of agricultural and other books bearing on 
its objeéts. Results might be achieved if these sugges- 
tions were carried out, that might be useful both to the 
Society and the colony at large. In regard to the 
Museum—no doubt it was a kind of public Museum and 
model room, which admirably discharged the funétions of 
such an institution. He would ask whether the Society 
should be charged with work of a public nature like this, 
or whether it ought not rather to fall on the Govern- 
ment. As a matter of fa@, all they had to do with it was 
to give it house-room and it was really maintained by 
the annual vote of the Combined Court of $4,500. Really 
and truly it might be regarded as a public Museum, and 
only nominally that of the Society. He felt that the 
people of the colony would still derive benefit from the 
maintenance of the Museum if it were separate, while the 
Society would be relieved from the duty of giving it 
house-room. 
He had thrown out these suggestions as bearing on 
the welfare of the Society, and although some there 
might not agree with him, yet he thought they would ex- 
peét the President tospeak frankly, and, evenif they did not 
agree with him, he thought they would give him credit 
for earnestness and a strong desire to further the welfare 
of the Society. He looked on the question in this way : 
Z 
