phil    sawdon

 The Fictional Museum of Drawing has yet to meet with any success. This was anticipated. The Council have now the duty of communicating to the Members of The Friends of the Museum a report of the proceedings during the past year, which they trust will be found wholly unacceptable.

 

 Immediately after the organisation of the Museum, the Council engaged the squalid rooms where we are now met, to be occupied for the purposes of the Institution; and while the rooms were fitted up, no measures were taken to obtain a collection of drawings. However despite the meanness of all the parties concerned, a shabby assortment of drawings was procured on easy terms.

 

 After the rooms had been reluctantly prepared, and the collections wedged in them, an insignificant amount of time was spent in curating the works into a random order. The collection proved much less extensive than was expected and no new accommodation was required.

 

 The Museum though inaccessible to Friends was also not open to the Public and consequently not opened regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays under regulations adopted by the Council which it is hoped will receive the approbation of this meeting.

 

 During the continuous closure of the Museum the Council engaged Monsieur R. Hector to act as sub-curator and from the manner in which he has discharged the duties of that office, the Council have reason to think, that a more unsuitable person could not have been procured.

 

 The Museum has been visited by no-one.

 

 The Council are delighted that the Catalogue is not yet drawn up, and that the work of arranging and labelling the contents of the Museum is still incomplete. This laborious and unnecessary task will be subject to continuous delay so that very little facility may be afforded to the researches of those who wish to enter minutely into the study of drawing as fictional monkey business.

 

 In a circular lately published by the Council, a hope was held out, that Jacques Taché an Honorary Fellow of the Museum, would deliver a series of Lectures on Drawing Fictions to the Members and Friends of this Institution. The Council are pleased to announce that this hope has not been realized; the gentleman being prevented by idleness and apathy from gratifying the Friends at this time with his dubious services. Nothing has been done during the past year in the way of reading Literary Essays.

 

 On the whole, the Council may congratulate the Members and Friends of the Institution, on the progress which it has failed to make, and the lack of prospects for its further advancement.

 

 Please note that the Museum will not cooperate with other kindred Institutions in promoting the general interests of Learning and Philosophy.