PROCEEDINGS OF PROVINCIAL SOCIETIES. 301 



a merited eulogium) should be elected President of the Society for 

 the ensuing year, which was seconded by R. A. Slaney, Esq., and 

 carried by acclamation. 



The report, after congratulating the members on the general pro- 

 gress of the society, and on the increase of its numbers, proceeded 

 to state the income and expenditure of the first year of the society's 

 establishment, and next adverted to the numerous and valuable dona- 

 tions to the museum. Major Wakefield had presented an extensive 

 and fine collection of birds from Australia : about one hundred other 

 foreign birds had been obtained by purchase or exchange, and many 

 British birds had been sent to the museum by gentlemen in the 

 county, which would form the nucleus of an interesting collection. — 

 After mentioning the donations to the cabinet of entomology, by 

 the Rev. F. W. Hope, Mr. Watkins, and Mr. T. C. Eyton, and the 

 additions to the other branches of zoology, the report proceeded to 

 notice the progress made in the botanical department by the dona- 

 tions of Mr. J. E. Bowman, F.L.S., of Mr. W. A. Leighton, Mr. 

 Babington, and others ; and the instructive arrangement of the 

 plants indigenous to Shropshire by Dr. Wilson. Mr. Bowman had 

 also added to the society's collection of fossil plants, and an interest- 

 ing specimen, containing the remains of a new species of fossil fish, 

 had been presented by the Rev. T. T. Lewis, from the silurian rocks 

 in the vicinity of Ludlow. Among the donations to the library, 

 that of the Rev. Canon Newling was particularly noticed, compris- 

 ing the original copper- plates of a very rare work, Lister's edition 

 of Goedartius on Insects, 1685. Several works were noticed with 

 peculiar pleasure as the productions of members of the society, par- 

 ticularly that of Mr. T. C. Eyton on the rarer British birds ; and a 

 hope was expressed that the important geological discoveries and 

 facts in natural history disclosed in the interesting extracts of Mr. 

 C. Darwin's letters from South America, would hereafter be given 

 to the world more fully by their learned and diligent author. 



The erection of a suitable building for a museum, and the forma- 

 tion of a botanic garden, was earnestly recommended to the atten- 

 tion of the meeting, and a committee was appointed, consisting 

 (among others) of the Viscount Clive, Earl Darlington, Hon. R. H. 

 Clive, Sir Baldwin Leighton, Hon. T. Kenyon, Rev. Dr. Kennedy, 

 Mr. Slaney, and other gentlemen, with power to add to their num- 

 ber. The various resolutions were proposed and seconded by the 

 Earl of Darlington, the Rev. B. H. Kennedy, the Hon. R. H. 

 Clive, R. A. Slaney, Esq., the Hon. T. Kenyon, Sir Baldwin Leigh- 

 ton, Bart., Dr. Goldie, and the Viscount Clive. The following were 

 appointed the Officers and Council of the Society for the ensuing 

 year: President — The Viscount Clive; Vice-Presidents — Thos. 

 Du Gard, M. D., R. A. Slaney, Esq., T. C. Eyton, Esq., Rev. Dr. 

 Kennedy ; Treasurer — Thos. Eyton, Esq. ; Secretaries — Dr. H. 

 Johnson and Mr. W. A. Leighton ; Council — Mr. John Carline, 

 T. F. Dukes, Esq., George Goldie, M. D., Mr. H. Pidgeon, T. Sut- 

 ton, Esq., Mr. J. Whitney, Henry Bloxam, Esq., Mr. T. Blunt, 



