the Church and allow them to suppose that they were taking no part in the service of it. At Chippenham, matters are not sufficiently forward to allow as yet of the consideration of your Committee's suggestions. At Dundry your Committee have been called on to take in hand the very interesting and important point of restoring the upper stage and pinacles of the Tower. The present season, and other circumstances, have not allowed of much progress in the work, but your Committee would earnestly solicit the co-operation of the Members of this Society in procuring subscriptions for this undertaking. Your Committee must again beg leave to state that these public and formal acts do not include the whole of their labours, nor is the usefulness of the Society to be judged of only by them. There are numerous and almost daily applications for advice, very important, of course, to the persons asking it, though on matters so plain that they do not require the collective deliberation of your Committee:-or occur so frequently as to render it useless to repeat them over and over again. And in some cases it is necessary to return such speedy answers, that there is not time to wait for the formal assembling of the Committee. It is by no means intended that the Society should be implicated in, or answerable for, the consequences of any of any such advice; but your Committee cannot but conclude, that advice given under such circumstances is of very great value, and that without the existence of such a Society parties wanting such advice would not know where to seek it. With regard to the instances where their advice has not been followed, it has been chiefly on the plea that room would be sacrificed by adopting it. In all cases, however, your Committee has deemed it right to advise the adoption of what is truly and strictly correct; and they have a good hope that by continuing to do so, and thus circulating proper information on such subjects, people may be led to see that God's service requires a peculiar arrangement for its celebration, and that cases of overpopulation should be provided for by other means than invading the parts of the Sanctuary which have hitherto been kept for a different purpose; and that, moreover, it is vain to presume that a certain number of persons are accommodated in a Church, when they are so crowded together that they cannot possibly kneel down. Several applications have been made for grants of money, but in one only, of long standing, could your Committee comply with the wishes of the applicants. A grant of £10 was made to the Vicar of St. Michael's, Othery, which had been applied for at the commencement of the restorations. And as so large a sum had been expended on the Church, and every thing restored with the best material, at a heavy expense to the Vicar, they deemed it a proper object for their consideration. It was granted, subject to the condition that the whole Church should be paved with Broseley or similar tiles, and that the benches should be laid on them without wooden floors or doors. Your Committee have much pleasure in announcing that the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells has been pleased to permit his name to be substituted for that of his Right Reverend predecessor, as one of the Patrons of this Society. They have also a similar pleasure in announcing that the Mayor of Bristol has become a Member of the Society. Eight new Members were added to the Society during the last year, and two new ones have been elected for the present year. Your Committee, therefore, hope that they may congratulate the Society on its having carried on for another year its office, at least, of a practical working Society; and while there is much room for increased attention and additional application to the high and important objects which it is the purpose of this Society to promote, they cannot but feel that the past has given sufficient encouragement to induce them to pursue their present course. Balance from 1845... SAMUEL S. WAYTE, Treasurer, in Account with the Bristol and West of England Architectural Society. CR. Arrears of Subscription for 1843, 1844, and 1845. January 17. Rev. J. R. Woodford, Grant to Church at 12 12 0 Wm. Strong, per Rent and Books. 17 16 0 June 25. T. H. Sealy, for 260 copies of the 16 5 0 Henry Lancaster, for arrears of Rent to Joseph Leech, for Printing Reports, &c.... .... I 0 22 13 6 1 11 9 Grant to Rev. G. Salt, for St. George's Church 10 Collector, for Journey to Bath and deliver- Ditto, for Poundage on £15 15s. Od. arrears 18th January, 1847, Examined and Audited, and found correct. J. HICKS, £136 19 3 Donations of Books, Drawings, or Engravings, are earnestly solicited, for the formation of an Architectural, Archæological, and Heraldic Library. Members are reminded that Subscriptions are due on the 1st of January, for the ensuing year, and are requested to pay those which are due for the present year. ECCLES J. CARTER, Hon. Sec. 10, COLLEGE GREEN, BRISTOL. |