REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 45 



several years past been unsatisfactorily small. An effort was 

 made last autumn, through the distribution of notices to 

 libraries and other institutions in the two counties, to make 

 the competition more widely known ; and doubtless in conse- 

 quence of this a considerably larger number of essays were 

 sent in. The task of examining these was again kindly 

 undertaken by the Rev, Canon Tristram and the Rev. Canon 

 Norman ; and on their recommendation the prize was awarded 

 to the Rev. W. J, Wingate for his essay on " A Ramble up 

 Burnhope," A second prize, offered by Mr, R, C, Clephan, 

 was awarded to Mr. John Greenwell for an essay entitled, 

 " A Walk up the Bedburn," 



Several donations of importance have been made to the 

 Society and its museum during the year, Mr. N, H. Martin's 

 gift of a lecture lantern has already been mentioned. Colonel 

 Adamson has deposited part of his well known collection of 

 Burmese butterflies in the museum, and will make the 

 remainder over to the Society's care as soon as they are 

 finally arranged in the cabinets. Mr. John Daglish has pro- 

 cured for the museum a carefully selected set of typical coals, 

 accompanied by their analyses ; Mr, G, E. Crawhall has pre- 

 sented a large and well mounted specimen of the Badger from 

 the Tyne valley; and Mr. Harold Cookson has placed on 

 loan in the museum a fine set of heads of big game collected 

 by himself in the Upper Nile, One of the latest accessions is 

 the skeleton of a White Whale captured this summer in the 

 mouth of the Tyne, and presented, largely through the 

 instrumentality of Mr, Meek, by Mr, G, Relph, of Newcastle, 

 This is the first recorded occurrence of the White Whale 

 south of the Forth, Many other interesting donations have 

 been received, and will be found acknowledged in the detailed 

 list given later. 



Your Committee have, on behalf of the Society, offered to 

 the President their hearty congratulations on the honour con- 

 ferred upon him by His Majesty the King, and have expressed 

 the gratification which all will feel in having once more the 

 name of Lord Armstrong as that of their President. 



