Ill 



The Society, at a special meeting on the 18th of April, 1828, 

 was informed of the grant from the Lords Commissioners of his 

 Majesty's Treasury, through the mediation of the President and 

 Council of the Royal Society, of apartments in Somerset-house; at 

 which time a subscription was opened for the purpose of repairing 

 and fitting up the apartments, whereby the sum of 923/, 85. 6d. has 

 been pi'oduced. 



From that time till the entrance of the Society into their apart- 

 ments, the attention of the Council was occupied unremittingly in 

 making arrangements connected with the removal from Bedford- 

 street, and in superintending the progress of the works necessary 

 for the reception of the Society at Somerset-house. They disposed 

 of the lease of the late premises in Bedford-street on satisfactory 

 terms ; and, under the direction of Mr. Decimus Burton, they were 

 enabled to adapt the present apartments to their new purposes, 

 much more effectually than at first was thought practicable. The 

 Council hope that, considering the limited space for the reception 

 arid display of the collections, what has been done with these objects 

 will be approved of by the Society, and be found effective and con- 

 venient. 



The Council has the satisfaction of stating, that all the debts 

 incurred to the present time, in repairing and fitting up the new 

 apartments, have been entirely discharged; including the cost of a 

 stove for heating the house with warm air, and of apparatus for 

 supplying the lower rooms and staircase with gas light ; and the 

 purchase of several new cabinets and articles of furniture. The 

 amount of these demands, from various and inevitable causes, has 

 been found considerably to exceed what at first was hoped or ex- 

 pected. But the Council has, nevertheless, thought it expedient 

 to pay off the whole, by taking from the ordinary funds of the So- 

 ciety a sufficient sum to make up the present deficiency of the 

 subscription : leaving open, however, for the present, the subscrip- 

 tion fund, and the account of the expenditure on the repairs ; in 

 order that such Fellows as have not yet subscribed, may have an 

 opportunity, if they think proper, of adding their names to the 

 subscription list; and thus, in effect, increasing the sum which 

 will then be applicable to the essential purposes of carrying on the 

 publications, and improving the Museum. 



The Council cannot close what they have to state on this subject 

 without informing the Society, that Mr. Decimus Burton, having 

 throughout the progress of these operations, devoted to them his 

 well-known skill and taste as an architect, has declined receiving 

 any pecuniary compensation ; stating that his satisfaction in being 

 useful to the Society was much more acceptable to him than any 

 such reward. 



Jn the early part of the past year the arrangement of the Museum 

 was improved, particularly of that part which relates to the English 

 and Scotch series. All the specimens not yet introduced into the 

 cabinets were examined, and numerous duplicates discarded. Con- 

 siderable progress was made in classing the fossil bones, and at- 



