*354 



WtH^EHiAK Natural History Society. 



In our last Number, p. 272, an inaccurate statement was made, the eolTeo- 

 tion of which we repeat from a fly-slip appended to that number. It was assert- 

 ed that " Mr. Amott did not sign" the letter which was addressed by Mr. Fal- • 

 conar and Dr. Gillies to the President of the Wernerian Society, on the subject • 

 of the library, &c. We have since, however, ascertained that Mr. Amott's name 

 is appended to the letter, and we have received that gentleman's assurance that ' 

 his signature was made before the letter was delivered to the chair. 



We regret that we should have been led into error upon this matter, and that 

 we should have expressed our contradiction in such strong language, especially 

 as Mr. Neill, whose name was attached to the circular upon which we have ani- 

 madverted, has declared himself to be solely responsible for that document, and 

 has been irritated by the light in which we found ourselves necessitated to view 

 it. So highly do we estimate this gentleman's public and private worth, that 

 we do not for one moment hesitate to declare, that the remarks we made were ' 

 never intended to attach to him, and that we are concerned at having occasioned 

 him the slightest uneasiness. 



With respect to the fact, which is itself independent of personal considerations, 

 we consider it but justice to ourselves to mention, by what circumstances we 

 were induced to make a statement which now proves to be untrue. 



On the 17th April last, when the letter in question was delivered to the presi- 

 dent of the meeting, Mr. Arnott was in the chair. The letter was twice read to 

 the Society, and no mention of Mr. Amott's name, as affixed, was at either time 

 made. Mr. Arnott has since informed us that, after having read the other two 

 signatures, he said " et cetera ;" but no one could have gathered from this ex- 

 pression that Mr. Amott's name was intended to be implied ; and besides, this 

 addition does not appear to have been heard by the members of the Society, as far 

 as we have been able to learn. Moreover, we have the authority of Mr. Falconar 

 and Dr. Gillies to state, that it was their full impression that the letter was only 

 signed by themselves when delivered by Mr. Falconar to the chair ; and that, 

 from Mr. Amott's name not having been read to the Society, they believed, 

 until the time of our discovering the error, that their signatures alone were at- 

 tached. Thus, it will be evident that the fact of Mr. Amott's name being also 

 signed, could only be known to himself and to the secretary, in whose possession 

 the letter was deposited. To these gentlemen, it has been said, we might have 

 applied for information ; but had there even appeared to us to be any room for 

 doubt, Mr. Arnott was at the time absent from Scotland, and delicacy restrained 

 us from interrogating Mr, Neill, whose connection with the circular was of rather 

 a dubious nature. Public opinion, then, could alone be our guide ; and to this 

 we confidently trusted. We did not wantonly make an assertion which we knew 

 to be false, but reported an opinion which was entertained by numbers of the So- 

 ciety, as well as several visitors who were present at the meeting. 



We have received a full communication from our friend Mr. Amott ujwn the 

 subject of our article ; but as we should be obliged to dissent from several things 

 which he has taken for granted, — and further, as our other statements have not 

 been impugned by the gentlemen more immediately concerned, we consider it 

 would be the more conciliatory plan to suspend the publication of his letter, un- 

 less further circumstances should immediately require it. 



For the purpose of all possible exactness, we take this opportunity of correcting 

 another mistake, into which we were led by the circular of which we have spoken. 

 It is mentioned in that document that prior to 1828, '' Mr. Macgillivray had 

 assisted in arranging and keeping the books, without holding any office in the 

 Society," and we were at the time amazed at such an admission. But we have 

 since ascertained that Mr. Macgillivray was requested by the Society to act as 

 assistant librarian so far back as December 1 823, for the nominal conveniency of 

 Mr. Wilson, keeper of the Museum, and librarian to the Society. 



