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23rd June 1913.
Having received notice of the issue of my
certificate of Qualification from the Civil Service
Commission for which they made me pay £5
forbye a guinea to a doctor to pass me as sound,
I sent in my registration as Secretary to the
Ancient Monuments Commission last Friday,
and this Monday morning I officially en.
:tered upon my duties as Director of the Museum.
It is not an inspiriting job. In the Director's
room are cupboards and chests of drawers
crowded with papers, portfolios, and
sketches, of which there appears to be no
register or record. Dust lie's thick over
all, for, I understand, the dusting of my
room is only done by the courtesy of the
upper gallery attendant, it being nobody's
set duty to see my premises are kept clean.
Half empty bottles of liquids of sorts, I
suppose to be applied as preservatives,
mingle with dubious specimens, book-
catalogues, and unopened copies of the
transactions for foreign archaeological societies.
Bundles of letters, none of them backed
up, tumble out of cupboards when the doors are
opened, and endless photographs, drawings
& "pulls" of blocks mingle in the confusion.

There has never been an official letter-book,
and the records outside the minute books
seem to be of the vaguest. Dr [Doctor] Anderson
having ruled supreme for over 40 years knew,
I suppose, where everything was, as for me
I reign in chaos. Miss Ker, my typist,
is buckling "manfully" to the work and ere
long I have no doubt we shall evolve some
sort of order. Mr Edwards, to make matters
worse, left today on his holidays, to Germany.
The Society are giving me every opportunity
by allowing me a typist and the telephone,
and I hope I shall be able to take full ad:
:vantage of it.

24th June.
Some weeks ago I happened to be passing
Lyon's curio shop on the Mound and
that being a haunt of mine when I
led the less strenuous life of a W.S. [Writer to the Signet] I looked
in to see if, by chance, bargains were still
to be picked up there. Two brass objects
Mr Lyon had just bought, and offered
them to me for purchase. I did not know
what they were, but as they were nice pieces
of brass, and skillfully engraved with lines
& figures, besides one of them bearing the
date 1657, I was quite pleased to give the
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