5
and recommend that it be at once accepted, and that the best thanks of
the Council be accorded to Mr. Passmore Edwards for his generosity.
They further recommend that Messrs. Gibson and Russell be directed
to prepare plans for a suitable building for a museum, at a cost not
exceeding the sum named in Mr. Edwards' letter, with a view to its
erection in time for opening with the Institute ; also that the proposal
of the Essex Field Club with regard to the museum be generally
accepted, subject to a satisfactory agreement as to matters of detail,
and that it be referred back to your committee to consider and bring up
for the approval of the Council, a scheme of arrangements."
The report was passed unanimously, and the heads of the
agreement were accordingly prepared by the Secretary of the
Club in strict accordance with the proposals originally placed
before the Corporation of West Ham. The Agreement was
finally settled by Mr. Dare, the Hon. Counsel, and by Mr. H. I.
Coburn, the Hon. Solicitor, in consultation with the Town Clerk
of West Ham, Dr. Hilleary. It was approved by the Town
Council and by the Council of the Club, and was signed and
sealed on July 25th, 1898.
The full text of this document is printed in the Essex
Naturalist, vol. x., pp. 343-346, and the important stipulations
relating to the up-keep and scope of the Museum are abstracted
below. (Page 6.)
The Corporation were advised that it was necessary to
obtain Parliamentary powers enabling them to enter into the
agreement with the Club, and to acquire land on which to erect
the Museum, and provisions were included in the West Ham
Corporation Act, 1898, which received the Royal assent at the
end of the session.1
Some negotiations took place between the Technical
Instruction Committee and Mr. Howard, Mr. Cole, and
Professor Boulger representing the Club, in consequence of an
alteration of the plans of the building by the Architects. Ulti-
mately it was decided that the Club should have the whole of the
ground floor (comprising the vestibule, the large hall, a smaller
hall, and an alcove out of the large hall, together with a special
room for the library and other offices) and one-half the basement.
The Corporation to retain the whole of the galleries. The cost of
the building as finally settled by the Architects, Messrs. Gibson and
1 See Essex Naturalist, vol. x., pp. 339-40.