8 
REPORT OE THE 
bers of tbe Society having offered to support a scheme for a new 
lodge by contributions towards the cost, Mr. Fowler Jones 
was instructed by the Council to prepare plans. The Corpora¬ 
tion of York also offered in aid of the undertaking to reduce the 
annual ground rent hitherto paid by the Society for the Multan¬ 
gular tower and adjacent land, from £50 to £20. The plan, in 
accordance with which the present lodge now in course of com¬ 
pletion has been built, was selected by the Council. The total 
cost of the contracts amounts to £859 4s. 8d.; but of this sum 
£609 10s. have already been subscribed, a sufficient evidence that 
the scheme has met with the approval of the members and of 
the citizens generally. To Mr. Alderman Walker the Council 
feel deeply indebted for the valuable aid he has rendered in 
support of the scheme, and to Thomas Ellis, Esq., of Bootham, 
the Council desire to tender their best thanks for his munificent 
donation of 100 guineas for entrance gates. The Council hope 
that the subscription list will yet be augmented, that the lodge 
will be completed by voluntary aid, and that it will not be 
necessary to apply any portion of the Society’s income for that 
purpose. 
The Curator of Geology reports that considerable additions 
have been made to the Society’s collection during the past year 
by our late member, Mr. Blake, F.G.S. These donations consist 
chiefly of specimens illustrative of the Lias series, and will aid 
much to complete this part of the geological collection. The 
Curator is at present engaged in re-arranging and extending 
the collection in the Yorkshire Boom. Several new cases have 
been provided, and are now placed in the gallery. This has 
been rendered necessary in consequence of there being no more 
space available in the cases on the basement floor. The Curator 
proposes in the course of a short time to make this of the 
geological collection as perfect as j)ossible, and when the strati- 
grax)hical arrangement of the s^oecimens is com]3lete this room 
will add much to the scientific interest of our Museum. 
The Curators of Antiquities have to rex)ort a steady and most 
satisfactory increase of the department under their charge cliuing 
