The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-26 00:00:00

London Institution.

The annual general meeting of proprietors was
held yesterday in the theatre of the institution ;
Mr. T. BARING, M.P., the president, occupying
the chair.

The report stated that the club accommodations
contemplated by the managers, or suggested by the
proprietors, had been carried out at considerable ex-
pense. These arrangements were necessarily expe-
rimental. The subscription for the library of cir-
culation had been increased, by which the number
of volumes had been augmented to 750 ; which ad-
ditional number had been fully required. Various
additions had been made to the newspapers and pe-
riodical works. The lectures of the present season
had principally consisted of short illustrative courses,
referring especially to the recent advance of several
departments of knowledge. The managers had re-
ceived an application from the Hanterian Medical
Society, of which Mr. Alfred Smee, one of their own
number, was the president, in consequence of the
intended removal of the premises which that society
at present partly occupies, requiring permission to
transfer its valuable medical library of above 2,000
volumes, and also its meetings, to the London In-
stitution. The proprietors would have received a
letter from one of their number with certain sugges-
tions for an amalgamation with the corporation of
the London Institution with the proposed new cor-
poration of the Middle-class Schools. The mana-
gers considered this scheme to be of so much im-
portance as to 'call for their careful and unpreju-
diced consideration, and this they had resolved to give
to it forthwith, so as to be able to issue to the pro-
prietors a report thereonlwithout delay. In the mean-
time the managers submitted to the proprietors for
their consideration the scheme as presented to their
board. These terms, which were appended to the
report, provided that dissentient proprietors should
be entitled to receive £25 for every share they held.
The entire property of the London Institution
was to be transferred to the School Corporation,
with full power to adopt some of the present
and erect other buildings for the purpose of a
day school, as contemplated by the School Corpora-
tion, such school to be denominated, " The London
Institution Middle-class School."

Mr. B. STANDRING moved the following resolu-
tion :—" That the report of the management be re-
ceived, approved, and adopted, and that it be re-
commended to the board of management to adopt
such measures as they may consider expedient to
carry into effect the amalgamation of the London
Institution with the proposed Middle Class School
Corporation on the terms suggested in the appendix
to the report." The alterations referred to in the
report had failed to revive the prosperity of the in-
stitution, and he felt that the institution was gra-
dually dying down, owing to the altered state of
affairs in the city since its first establishment.
(" No, no.")
Mr. CAZEIiOVE seconded the motion, believing it
to be the best course to adopt.
Mr. LLOYD disputed the position advanced by the'
proposer of the resolution. He was convinced there
were still elements of success in the institution if
only some more attractive features were introduced
into its programmes. It was not, he contended, for
the advantage of the middle class school that they
should form part of their building. They should
rather be carried two or three miles further off,
nearer to the homes of the likely scholars. He ad-
vised the proprietors to wait, and they would see
their shares reach par. He moved au amendment to
omit all the words of the resolution after the word
" adopted." (Hear, hear.)
Mr. ALFRED SMEE, in seconding the amendment,
against the proposed sacrifice of the pro-
perty.protested
The railway companies were concentrating
their termini in the neighbourhood, and the London
Institution must soon become one of the central
points of the metropolis. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. J. P. GAssloi, the vice-president, entered
into a calculation showing that the property was
vested in 940 proprietors. It consisted of Consols
and the freehold, which together were estimated
to be worth £74,000, and it was proposed to
unite with a proprietary of S 2 possessed of
£54,000. The property of the institution would
remain intact, the theatre and library would be un-
touched, the proprietors would be relieved from their
annual two guinea subscription, and in view of all
these facts he thought the meeting'would be making
a fatal mistake if it resolved to reject the scheme of
amalgamation. (No, no, and hear, hear.)
Mr. TITE, ALP' , the honorary secretary, though
a warm advocate of
n.e.ntrheseo.ducation movement, and
although heartily agreeing with what had fallen
from the vice-president, assured the meeting that the
managers had no desire to press the plan if the pro-
prietors did not thoroughly approve of it. He had,

therefore, authority to announce that the proposal
was withdrawn. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HARTRIDGE very much regretted this result,
and demanded a ballot on the original resolution.
He disputed an opinion of the Attorney-General,
that the amalgamation could only be carried out
under the authority of an act of Parliament. Put
that, however, aside, and allowing for the cost of
obtaining an act, he insisted that financial conside-
rations ought to induce them to accept the proposi-
tion. At all events no argument had been used for
continuing the institution, and the only honest
course was to wind up. (Hear, hear.)
The PRESIDENT said the middle-class schools com-
mittee were not desirous of entering into negotiations
at present. (Hear, hear.) The matter had been
merely thrown out as a suggestion for the proprie-
tors to consider, but he put it to themeeting whether
it would be for the interest of the educational pro-
ject that the question should be pushed to a division.
(Hear, hear.)
After a debate extending over nearly two hours
and a half the resolution was withdrawn, and the
usual motion carried for the adoption of the report
and statement of accounts.

A vote of thanks to the President closed the pro-
ceedings.

Archaeological Association.

Yesterday evening a meeting of the members of
this association was held in their rooms in Sackville-
street. The chair was taken by Mr. Gordon Hills,
who announced that the council had that day elected
the officers of the association for the ensuing year,
subject to confirmation at the next anniversary
meeting. He stated that Lord Boston, who had so
often contributed objects from his collection for
exhibition at their meetings, had consented to be
the president of the association, and to hold that
office from year to year.
Lord BOSTON exhibited, through the medium of
Syer Cuming, various remains belonging to the
stone, bronze, andßoman periods, excavated at Caer
Leb, in the island of Anglesea. These remains com-
prised sepulchral urns and other vessels, pebble
amulets, a heavy flail-stone and dolerite, a beautiful
bronze fibula, a cross of green glass, a Semian ware
patua, coins, &c. Mr. Cuming, in his remarks on
these objects, pointed out the close resemblance be-
tween the sepulchral urns of the Ordbvicii and Cor-
navii, and exhibited an example wrought by the
latter which was found by Chevalier Barlow at
Wroxeter. These objects, he said, were of peculiar
value, as so few specimens of a similar kind had
been found in Wales.

The Rev. S. MAYHEW contributed a variety of
rare objects found in London, near the banks of the
Thames, in making the railway bridge at Black-
friars, at a:depth of about 30 feet below the surface)
where vast numbers of Roman remains were found.
The specimens exhibited included a curious armlet of
blue glass, decorated with devices in white enamel.

Mr. BAILY and Mr. S. CUMING exhibited appa-
rently duplicate urns or drinking cups, consisting of
hard baked surface-clay, with brown leaves. One of
these urns was found in Fenchurch-street, the other
in Gracechurch-street. Though associated with Ro-
man remains, it is supposed they belonged to the
Saxon period. Each one was considered unique until
its fellow was produced. They had been roughly
turned on the wheel.

Mr. NIMBLE exhibited one of several glass bottles
which had lately been dug up in Little Britain, also
an elegant bough-pot of blue and white delf ware
in Great Winchester-street.

Mr. C.:§ao produced some additional specimens of
bone implements found in London, of which many
were shown at a recent meeting, and caused much
discussion as to the purpose for which the imple-
ments had been employed.
Mr. BURNEL then read an elaborate paper on the
antiquities of Chelsea, contributed by the Rev. Mr.
Blunt, which was illustrated by drawings of parts of
the church and by numerous rubbings from brasses.
The meeting then adjourned.

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 26, 1866.