THE SECRETARIES' REPORT. 
liii 
Reports of the Society seem to be much sought after, and there 
are constant applications for exchange, and this brings in many 
volumes yearly. 
" Your Curator is desirous of expressing a very strong opinion 
that proper arrangements should be made for the issue of books. 
At present there is no check, the Society simply trusting to the 
person taking out a book entering it himself, and unless he does 
so there is no information as to its whereabouts. This plan 
answered when none but Lecturing Members were permitted to 
use the Library ; but now that Associates have this privilege, the 
number of readers is greatly increased, and it is impossible to 
exercise proper supervision. At present volumes are missing, of 
which neither the Curator or Housekeeper have been able to find 
any trace. It is very desirable that so valuable a Library should 
be made available for as large a number of persons as possible, 
and your Curator hopes that something may be done to effect this, 
and at the same time to prevent loss or damage to what is, after 
all, the property of a private Society. 
The most important matter to record in connection with your 
Curator's department is the presentation to the Institution of the large 
collection of Devonshire Pamphlets and Tracts — made by the late 
James Davidson and James Bridge Davidson — by the Rev. Thomas 
Davidson, Miss Davidson, Miss Mary Davidson, and Mrs. Julia 
Edwards, the children of the former and brother and sisters of 
the latter. It was intended that this collection should have been 
sold by auction; but the representations of your Curator, as to 
the great misfortune it would be to scatter what had taken so lono- 
getting together, induced the relatives to reconsider their deter- 
mination, and they offered the books to the Council upon certain 
conditions, which were accepted. The conditions are simply that, 
in the event of the Society being dissolved at any time, the 
collection shall be returned intact to the family, and that it shall 
be maintained under certain regulations ; and the following rules 
have been agreed upon between the family and the Council for 
the proper care of the tracts ; viz. : 
1. That the Tracts, &c, be kept together and in locked cases, and 
be called the " Davidson Collection and that a special label be 
provided for each separate Tract. 
2. That the Tracts be not allowed to circulate or to be taken out of 
the building of the Athenaeum. 
