LTNNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. XIX 



for many years a respected Viee- President of the Society; to 

 whose niece, Miss AVray of E.yde, we are indebted for this most 

 acceptable present. 



In the Botanical collections we have received from Mr. James 

 Salter the whole of the Herbarium of British Plants of our lamented 

 Fellow, Dr. Bell Salter of Eyde ; which, in addition to its being 

 perhaps one of the most complete British Herbaria ever formed, 

 possesses a peculiar value from its containing the typical specimens 

 of his species in the genera Bosa, Buhus^ Saxifraga and others, to 

 which, as is well known, he had paid especial attention. A com- 

 plete set of specimens from the great Javan Herbarium of our 

 venerable and distinguished Fellow, Dr. Horsfield, has also recently 

 been presented to us, by which our already extensive and highly 

 valuable Indian collections will be greatly increased in interest and 

 importance. These have already passed through the hands of our 

 Foreign Member, Professor Miquel of Amsterdam, now engaged on 

 a Flora of Java, by whom they have been named. 



Before I conclude, it may perhaps be expected that I should 

 allude to a subject which has excited a good deal of anxiety, and, 

 at one time, some alarm in the minds of the Fellows of the 

 Societies which meet in this mansion — I mean the proposed erec- 

 tion of buildings for various objects connected with Science and 

 Art on the area of the ground belonging to this place. It was of 

 course to be expected, and greatly to be desired, that so advan- 

 tageous a site should not be left unoccupied whilst there were so 

 many Societies and Institutions connected with intellectual pur- 

 suits which were wholly unprovided with an independent local 

 habitation, or were but inconveniently and uncertainly placed . 

 Some have to obtain accommodation' for themselves and at their 

 own expense ; and even those which enjoy the privilege of meeting 

 in apartments provided by the Grovernment, are wholly severed 

 from those kindred institutions, a near approximation of which 

 would be so mutually beneficial. It will be recollected that tlie 

 movement which some years since originated in the anxiety of a 

 number of Fellows of the Eoyal and other Societies to obtain 

 a juxtaposition of the Chartered Societies which represented 

 departments of Science, terminated in our obtaining from the 

 Government the present advantageous position for the three 

 bodies now occupying Burlington House. Still the plan was but 

 imperfect, and we have always anticipated the probable appro- 

 priation of the whole site to the great object of bringing into one 



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