COUNCIL FOR 1843. 
9 
ordinary expenditure has been somewhat increased by certain repairs 
which it has been found necessary to effect. Seventy-five pounds 
have been expended in extra works; and a donation of £10* has been 
made towards presenting a testimonial to Mr. A. Ryland, of Bir¬ 
mingham, for his services in obtaining the Act of Parliament before 
mentioned. Notwithstanding this extra expense, the balance against 
the Society at its bankers has been further reduced to a small extent, 
and now amounts to the sum of £1064. 16s. 2d. 
Whilst on the subject of finance, the Council cannot refrain from 
adverting to the splendid bequest which has been made to the Society 
by their late esteemed Vice-President, Dr. Beckwith. This Princely 
Legacy, which in conjunction with his other liberal bequests will 
render the name of Dr. Beckwith revered as the greatest benefactor 
to the charities and public institutions of the City of York, will go 
far towards relieving the Society from those difficulties under which 
it has laboured ever since its first formation ; although in accordance 
with a stipulation in the will, the legacy is not to be applied to the 
payment of any part of the heavy debt of the Society. At the 
special request of Dr, Beckwith, the income arising from this legacy 
is, in the first place, to be expended in building a house upon the 
Society’s property, as a residence for the Sub-Curator. This outlay is 
very desirable, as the rooms at present occupied by him are from 
their situation extremely damp and unhealthy; and the Council have 
only been deterred from undertaking it hitherto, by the expense 
which a suitable building would entail. It will be hereafter the 
duty of the Council, in the appropriation of this increase of income, 
to render the Museum and Gardens as interesting as possible to 
the members and the public. 
The money received for tickets of admission to the Gardens and 
Museum during the past twelve months, has not been quite equal to 
the amount of the previous year; but the small deficiency is less than 
might have been expected, considering the unprecedented depression 
under which the trade of the country has of late laboured. 
On Whit-Monday and Tuesday, the Gardens and Museum were 
as usual, thrown open to the Public, and visited by a large concourse 
of persons. The Officers and Privates of the Yorkshire Hussars 
were likewise permitted to have free access to the Museum, during 
the period of their service in York. 
c 
