KEPOBT OF THE COMMITTEE. 233 



remains yet the furnishing of cases for the Upper Gallery of 

 the Central Eoom, and the furnishing the Upper and Lower 

 West Corridors. Lady Armstrong has most generously had 

 the lower rooms of the East and "West "Wings fitted up and 

 furnished for a Ladies' Eoom and Committee Eoom. 



SALE OF OLD BUILDING. 



Shortly after the commencement of the ITew Building, en- 

 quiries were made by the agent of the North Eastern Eailway 

 Company as to the price required for the Old Museum site 

 and building, and simultaneously application was made by the 

 Council of the College of Medicine and the Committee of the 

 Literary and Philosophical Society. It was considered that the 

 first offer should be given to the Literary and Philosophical 

 Society for the sum of £15,000, and on that Society declining to 

 purchase, the same offer was made to the Medical School, but 

 without any result. The offer was then formally made to the 

 ISTorth Eastern Eailway Company, through their estate agent, 

 but no sale was effected; and shortly after the Eailway Company 

 acquired parliamentary power to buy what property they required 

 contiguous to the Central Station, and for the widening of their 

 line. As no agreement as to price could be arrived at, the sale 

 of the Museum property was eventually effected by arbitration 

 through Messrs. Glow and Clayton and Gibson, and the sum of 

 £12,830 was finally awarded by the arbitrator. 



After the payment of Mr. Clayton's mortgage of £2000, and 

 the loans and balances of the Building Eund, there remains in 

 the Honorary Treasurer's hands a balance of about £2300, and 

 the Committee have now invested the sum of £2,000 in Corpo- 

 ration stock at 3^ per cent, to form a nucleus for the Museum 

 Maintenance Fund. 



It must be evident to the most casual observer that so large 

 a Museum cannot be properly arranged, kept in order, and 

 increased without a substantial fund, for its maintenance, and 

 that this fund should not depend entirely on the annual sub- 

 scriptions of its members and the admission fees from the public. 

 Occupying one of the finest sites in the town, the Museum ought 



