The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

The Hospital of Invei^ness. 60
the Session enquired whether the Board were ready to
furnish the rooms in the Hospital as a Poorshousc, as other-
wise they would relet them ;
and
by 13th March got a
reply, and were requested to warn out the tenants. This
was accordingly done, and the old building was used as a
Poorshouse for some years.
In consequence the Library must, about this time, have
been removed into the room above the late Session-House,
attached to the High Church, where it remained until the
building of an apse for an organ necessitated its removal
in 1 89 1 to one of the rooms in the Female School, lately
used as a Kindergarten School, in Academy Street. A
new catalogue was made about the year 1794 ; another in
1868 by Messrs Allan and Alexander Macdonald, which
was revised and had the new books added to it by Mr John
Macechern in 1890 ; and a new catalogue was made by Mr
George Alexander Wilson in 1891, w^hen the whole library
was re-arranged, and found to consist of 2894 volumes,
21 volumes being missing.
With the new Act of 1845 the dispute came to an end.
A Parochial Board was constituted, and wisely adopted
compulsory assessment ; and in May, 1846, six members of
the Kirk-Session were nominated as members thereof for
twelve calendar months ensuing.
The Hospital account books show that the Kirk-Session
throughout these negotiations continued to hold the trust
funds and administer the revenues as they had done since
1657, or earlier, and that what they contributed to the
poors' funds, managed by the Board of Administrators,
was handed over by them as Trustees, and for behoof of
the poor, and only promised to be continued while a volun-
tary assessment should be made in the parish. Subse-
quently more than one attempt has been made to claim
the administration of these funds, in whole or in part, for
the Parochial Board ;
but the Kirk-Session have success-
fully resisted the attempt to displace them as Trustees.
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