The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-06 00:00:00

BRIUPORT LITERARY INSTITUT&

The annual meeting of the members of the
institute was held at the institution on IVednesday
evening. Mr. H. E. Hennesll was voted into the
chair on the proposition of Mr. Edmunds. The
chairman having made a few remarks, said the first
thing to do that night would be to read the report,
and requested Mr. Reynolds to do so, who accord-
ingly read the following report end statement of
account.:—

" In the absence of those import trit and ieteresting
topics, which it hm been their duty to bring under your
notice in some former years, Tour committee must con-
tent themselves with presenting in this, their eleventh
annual report, • simple slat ment of the present oondi
tion of the institute. The past Yen!, although not
-
characterised by any striking progress, huff not been
lacking in the elements of sound and healthy life. The
subscriptions from members again show a satisfactory
iners•-e, though not in quite so high • ratio as during
the preceding year. The following table affords the
means of comparing the nlts of the last four years
under this hsail : Totals. 1862.3, £ll3 11t. ; 1863-4,
£133 6..; 1864-5, £1503... 21.; including £l6 le.,
receipts of a sorbs ; 18666, £1564.. 6d. The namber of
full members on the lit September last was 172, and of
lady members 75, as against 183, and 73, at the some
period last year. These numbers, however, do no:
afford soy certain data for judging of the prospects of
the institute, as the number of members has been much
larger diming the winter mouths. Your oommittee are
sonvinced that there iv yet room for further progress,
and they would impress upon you the consideration,
that as the advantages which may be sffurded to each
Individually, sre in direct proportion to the numbers
associated together for the common object, so it is the
plain intereet of earth member to aid, as he beet may,
in inoreasing the number of his fellow.members. They
trust that with your assistance the rate of p
during the three past years will still be mai=
The table of the rsading-room has been supplied with •
larger number of newspapers and periodicals, and times
of a higher dim than at any past time, and the at-
tendance has cons'Aerably increased. It is rettommended
that the Loodoulikupress be discontinua %its pleas having
been more than tilled by the Pali Mall Gazette.
that the Economia! be subetitated for the Homy
_ . . . . _ . _

Marta Rerino and that the Bristol Daily Post
• • - . . . .

be subscribed for during the session of Parliament.
or at any other time when it may be especially desirable
to obtain news early in the day. The circulating library
continues to be ezteneively uerd. The number of inure
has been 3,411, ',eldest 3,441 lest year, and 2,626 in
1863-4. Your committee intend appropriating 1:10 for
purehtee of new books, which will shortly be placed on
the shelves. The lectures for the pest session were
numernasly attended. The programme for the present
year is in the heeds of member', and the course hes
already oommenoed. Your committee would have
desired to bays included in the coarse one or more
lectures on scientc subjects, but have been unable,
with the means at their command, to secure the services
of gentlemen of known ability and established repute.
tion, and are unwilling to emcees those of Inferior
merit. The committee of the School of Art, haying
' applied for the use of the lecture room for the portions s
of their classes dorms another year, under the same con-
ditions as before, your committee have, with much
pleasure, acceded to their wishes. They have also
granted the use of the class-room to Mr. Gersten, for a
elan in French, which is held on Friday evenings, and
to which members of the institute are admitted on terms
which it is hoped are sufficiently moderate to enable
many to themselves of that gentleman's instruction.
The thanks of the members are doe to the treasurer,
S. W. Wethatn, for his handsome gift of a time-
piece for the reading room, thus supplying a long-felt
want. The librarian has been instructed tei set it by
Oteenwio.h time, which he may obtain from the
telegraph °Moe ; this arrangement, it ii believed,
will prove a great public convenience. A bust
of George Stephenson, presented by Mr. John
Dunham, has been recently placed in the
reading.room, but your committee rr gret they have not
been able to secure the bust of Tennyson, promised by
Mr. H. E. HounselL To November last, your committee
were requested by several members of the institute to
afford them faelities to meet during a portion of each
day, for the discussion of business and other topics. In
compliance with their suggestion, they consented to the
an.penaion, daring the hour from three to four in the
afterno3n, of rule 2, which prohibits conversation in the
reading-room. As the object proposed has not been
neonatally carried out, that rale has again been put inte
force. Two members of the committee, Messrs Spooner
and Wain Wright, haying left the town, your committee
have appointed Meagre. Montagu and H. N. Con to fill
their places, which appointment, they trust, will meet
with your approval. The retiring member. are Messrs-
I'. Tooker, C. Newberry, T. Male, and W. T. Whetham.
The three first are proposed for re-election, and Mr.
John Collins in plea. of Mr. Whetham. The folios ing
statement of cash account, though showing • smaller
balance than Int year, is really more satisfactory, as
the outstanding liabilities are mush smaller. The cash
amount showed reosipts—belanre in hand from last year,
1:5 17s. 11d., subeeriptione £126 17a, sale of lecture
tickets and admission to lectures En le. 64., sale of
newspapers £lO 19a, fines and catalogue. El 26., rent of
telegraph ofilee £lo—total £163 6s. 2d. While the
disbursements were—i-neespapers and. periodicals
C4l ss. 81., loetariss end entertainments £6619.., print-
ing, binding, and stationary £lB 18s. N., wale and
, candles £4 13.. 7d., gas £2O ss. Ig.. fire insurance
El 25., rate. and tan.. CV 40. 5d., npairs E 24 Is. 81.,
incidentals LI 0.. 2d„ and librarian'. commission
£717.. 5d., leaving a balance in hand of 18e.

Mr. Hocassu said be would not take the report
seriatim, but would touch on two or three matters
by which be thought he would be able to throw a
better aspect on the report protected. *ith regard
to the statement of accounts it appeared there was
only a small balance of cash in hand, while last year
1 there was • larger one, but it would be hardly fair
Ito judge by that in this case as their liabilities were
' net so large as lest year; there was then an on.
'settled claim of Mr. Gerrard'., of between £2O and
£3O, for repairs staring them in the face, which had
since been settled, and they had nothing now to
look forward to in that way, so that their position
was improved actually by about £l5, saying nothing
about it in the shape of better lectures, Ind More
newspapers and periodicals. In the report allusion
was made to the allowing of conversation in the
, reading-room for one hour daily, from three to four
o'clock ; he was partly neeponsible for that proposi.
I thin as be was one of those who suggested it and
rz:dee oommittoe that it should be allowed.
d th., hint that it *odd he the nuokiea of what
they wanted; they had no etchings in Bridport,
nor any plan where people could meet to dismiss
business subjects, and he thought this being 0011 of
the largest mercantile towns in the West of England,
it would be very desirable to have such a places. There
woes feeling among people interested in mercantile
pursuits theta greater facility of interwar's on business
matters, whether in private or public rooms, would
be moot beneficial, any one who had considered the
subject moat have felt how materially it would assist
ideas on meraantile ooncerns, and other matter.. It
struck him, therefore, that such a plan might be
carried oat by after-post time in the afternoon,
making an exchange of the room, and slier Ideal of
labour on his part and Mr. *helium's, who
thoroughly approved the project, it was alerted, and
kept up for three weeks. The attendance was small,
1 as they expected it would be at first, but they thomht
it would become larger as the benefits of the plan
were more fully seen. Unfortunately, however, for
the idea, the individuals who had taken the matter
in hand. and who wished to wend, were, it so
happened, each of them obliged to be absent just at
that very time nearly a month from Bridport, so
after • bit it collapsed, the few outsiders who did
attend finding the juomoters of the scheme absent,
stopped coming. lie was sorry the committee have
gone back to the old regulation about oonversatioo,
he believed a reconsideration of that idea, and its
ladoption, would prove of great advantage to the
institution and the town in large. Another subject
alluded to in the report was the number of members
of the Waikato. He was sorry to see there were not
more than 200 of the inhabitants of this town mem-
bers ; agessidering what they got for their money,
he wondered they did not increses more rapidly. It
was the interest of every individual there to induce
I others to eubscribe ; it struck him that they Gould
easily do so, and, as according to the Moms they had
! they were able to elberd artoommodatiou in
lectures, papers, and so on, be hoped they would
each of them do so; they could give better lectures if
there were more members. H. hoped next time
they met they should be able to congratulate them-
selves on in hammed number of member'. He
moved the adoption of the report.
Mr. Jarrow:. seconded the motion, and said he
sincerely congratulated the members on the healthy
state of the institute, if it wu not so prosperous asit
might be, still it was progremive. He wished to
add, that as far ea his means were of judging the way
in wbirsh the institute had been managed, the 03m.
mate. had done as much al they possibly could, and
deserved their thanks. He could not understand
why out of • population of 8,000 or 10,000 eo small a
number had become members, and he hoped the
number would inerISSIL They ought to double the
present numbers, and it would benefit the institution
If they could increase them. They had Moe London
daily papers, bends, weekly ones and periodicals,
which one would think would draw 400 or 500 mew.
hers. He believed, however, the institute was in •
healthy state, and a progressive—if slowly progres-
sive--state.

_
Th. 1110M00 was Garrido&
The Bev. J. Stara/de propped flat J. Gtmdry,
Esq. should be president, and S. W. Wbetham,
treasurer for the owning year. Be believed Mr.
Oundry had beau fr.nn the beginning one of their
fast sad beet friends, and had given his advice and
materiel help when needed. Yr. Wheats= was •
gentleman well known is the town, and trustworthy
—(s laugh).
Mr. BLUTLITr soooded thy motion, and it was
carried.

The Rev. R L Caarrnran mid although the
sseretery had read the report very clearly, he did
cot catch how many members there were in the
institute, and asked Mr. Reynolds how many there
were.

RZYSIOLDS mid that oa tllll Id Of September
than were 172 full members, mad 75 ladies. That
would not, however, repreeset the Dumber at the
preempt time ea then had been as Menem Inc..
Tbe Rev. R. L 0•1112111111lasid 172 full ossenben
sod 75 laths§ ; that would make about 250, he con.
alined that waa pretty well, and he didn't think