under consideration the necessity of extending the building, by adding a wing, which should be used not only as an Art Gallery, but also as an Industrial Museum; the Art Gallery and its treasures being located in that portion of the premises devoted to the Midland Institute, which was found to be a very inconvenient arrangement.  The subject came under the notice of the Council on February 19th, 1878, when the committee submitted plans of the proposed alterations.  These included the erection of a new block of buildings fronting Edmund Street, to consist of three storeys.  The Town Council approved the plans, and granted L11,000 to defray the cost of the enlargement.  About Midsummer the committee proceeded to carry out the plans, and in order to do this it was necessary to remove the old entrance hall and the flight of stairs which led up to the Shakespeare Memorial Library and to the Reference Library, and to make sundry other alterations of the buildings.  The Library was closed for several days, and in the meantime the walls, where the entrances were, were pulled down and wooden partitions were run up across the room, making each department of much smaller area than before.  In addition to this a boarded-in staircase was erected in Edmund Street, by which persons were able to gain access to the Lending Library, which is on the ground floor, and to the Reference Library, which was immediately above.  A similar staircase was made in Ratcliff-place, near the cab stand, for the accommodation of the members of the Midland Institute, who occupy the Paradise-street side of the building.  The space between the two staircases was boarded up, in order to keep the public off the works during the alterations, and the necessary gas supply pipes, &c., were located outside these wooden partitions.  The alterations were well advanced by Christmas, and everything bade fair for an early and satisfactory completion of the undertaking.  The weather, however, was most severe, and now and then the moisture in the gas-pipes exposed to the air became frozen.  This occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, January 11, 1879, and an employe of the gas office lit a gas jet to thaw one of the pipes, A shaving was blown by the wind across this light, it blazed; the flame caught other shavings, which had been packed round the pipe to keep the frost out, and in less than a minute the fire was inside, and in one hour the Birmingham Reference Library was doomed to destruction.  It was the greatest loss the town had ever suffered, but a new building has arisen on the site, and (with certain exceptions) it is hoped that a more perfect and valuable Library will be gathered to fill it.  In a few days after the fire it was decided to ask the public at large for at least L10,000 towards a new collection, and within a week L7,000 had been sent in, the principal donors named in the list being—­