156 REPOET OF THE COMMITTEE. 



he had entrusted and presented his collections, a permanent 

 maintenance fund, so that there could not be any possibility of 

 a chance of his works being transferred to any other body or 

 Society, and to this end by deed of gift he vested his collections 

 in the hands of the present Trustees of the Natural History 

 Society and their future successors. 



The Committee cannot close this part of their report without 

 referring to the Biographical Sketch of the life of Mr. John 

 Hancock, which has been written for the Transactions of the 

 Society by his intimate friend, Dr. Embleton, with a portrait 

 presented by Mr. J. "W". Swan. 



The Committee record with gratification, that during the past 

 year the Museum has been permanently fitted with the Electric 

 Light, and through the generous donations of Lord Armstrong, 

 Lady Armstrong, the Northern Institute of Chartered Account- 

 ants and others, the whole cost has been defi'ayed. Mr. J. W. 

 Swan most kindly presented the Society with the whole of the 

 electric lamps required for the Entrance Hall, Ladies' lloom. 

 Committee Eoom, two Stair-cases and the Library. Since the 

 Museum has been fitted with the electric light, the Committee 

 opened it on Monday and Saturday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. 

 The attendance on Monday nights was so discouraging that the 

 Committee have discontinued the opening of the Museum on that 

 night. The attendance on Saturday evenings has been better, 

 though the average sum taken at the doors has so far only been 

 sufficient to meet about half the cost of the electric light. It is 

 proposed, however, to continue to keep the Museum open on 

 Saturday evenings for the present, in the hope that the attend- 

 ance will increase ; but, if that hope be disappointed, the Com- 

 mittee do not see how, having regard to the limited income of 

 the Society, they will be justified in incurring the expense of 

 keeping the Museum open on Saturday evenings. 



The permanent installation of the Electric light enabled the 

 Committee to grant the use of the Museum rooms for a Conver- 

 sazione, held by the Chartered Accountants in the Autumn of 

 last year, and on anotlier occasion during the Si)riug the pro- 



