General Meeting, May I5th } 1852. xv. 



sible. Your Committee may state, that they now employ the 

 services of a Librarian at a slight remuneration, he is always 

 in the office, and has the keys in his possession, so that any 

 Member can at any time receive any work which is in the 

 Library, the Librarian taking note of his name and the date 

 of issue. In reference to the Museum, your Committee have 

 not presumed to decide how it should be supported, whether 

 from the general funds of the Society, or from a fund to be 

 continued in aid of itself and styled the Museum Fund. The 

 question will be submitted to your determination, as will also 

 some supplementary ones in reference to its maintenance and 

 improvement ; at present your Committee are happy to be 

 able to state that its condition is by no means a bad one. 

 The careful investigations of Mr. Layard assure us, that there 

 are of birds the specimens of 260 species, of which 175 are 

 fit for mounting ; and it is possible that within a very short 

 time the efforts of Dr. Kelaart, Mr. Layard, and others, could 

 render great and complete accessions to this and most other 

 provinces of Natural History. Of shells, there are about 300 

 species, and Mr. Layard has promised the addition of no less 

 than 200 more. The department of Mineralogy is also satis- 

 factorily represented ; and indeed your Committee are assured 

 that the Museum at present is in so satisfactory a condition, 

 that nothing but a just amount of the Society's patronage is 

 sufficient to elevate it to utility and excellence. On this 

 subject, your Committee have much pleasure in inviting the 

 attention of the Society to aletter fromE.L. Layard, Esq., to 

 the Secretary, displaying his usual sound sense and zeal for 

 the Society's welfare : it is marked E., and is attached to this 

 Report. 



The last and third class of expenses is that connected with 

 the Instruments of the Institution. It would appear, from the 

 accounts of the Treasurer's department, as also from the pro- 

 ceedings of the Society, that many instruments have been 

 bought, of which no record now remains. The instruments 



