20 



Philadelphia, Jamvary 3, 1865. 



Dear Sir— I propose to present to the Eutomological Society of Philadelphia 

 One Hundred Shares of the Capital Stock of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- 

 pany, on condition, that they shall be held in Trust by the Society as a Publi- 

 cation Fund, and that the income derived from the same shall be exclusively 

 applied to the publication of the authorized periodical Publication of the So- 

 ciety, which may be issued in octavo form. Should the Society at any time 

 think it advisable to change the Investment, all monies received from the sale 

 of the same are to be re-invested and held in Trust for the same purposes and 

 on the same conditions as the original donation. 



The season for railroad accidents and derangements having already com- 

 menced. I have transferred this morning, 100 Shares of the Pennsylvania R. R. 

 Stock into the name of tlie Entomological Society, without waiting for the ac- 

 tion of the Society, hoping that it will be willing to accept the donation on the 

 proposed conditions. You will oblige me by laying the above proposition be- 

 fore the Society, at the o'anuary meeting. 



Yours, respectfully, 



THOMAS B. WILSOX. 

 To Jas. W. McAllister, Esq., 



Treasurer of Entomological Soc. of Philad. 



Philadelphia, January 31, 1865. 



Dear SiK^Since I made the donation to the Entomological Society of Phila- 

 rlelphia. of 100 Shares of the Capital Stock of the Pennsylvania Central Rail- 

 road Company, to be held in Trust as a Publication Fund, I have been in- 

 formed that in case the Society should at any time deem it advisable to change 

 t)ie investment, there are doubts whether the Society would be authorized to 

 re-invest in any other Securities than those authorized by the Laws of Penn- 

 sylvania in relation to Trust Funds; in order, therefore, to remove all doubts 

 of my intentions, I will say, that I did not intend to limit the Society to any 

 jiarticular class of Securities in case of re-investment, but intended that when 

 any change of investment was deemed advisable, the Society should be en- 

 tirely at liberty to re-invest in such Securities as at the time of re-investment 

 might be considered most conducive to the interest of the Fund. 



Please attach this to my note making the donation, as exi^lanatory of it:? 



meaning. Yours, respectfully, 



THOMAS B. WILSON. 

 To Jas. W. McAllister, Esq., 



Treasurer of Entomological Soc. of Philad. 

 Of course this o;ift was accepted with the conditions imposed, and 

 altoo:ether the amount of his donations to the Entomological Society, 

 as nearly as can be ascertained, was about $26,(»U0 The entire amount 

 which he has from time to time donated to the Academy of Natural 

 ScieiK-es in the form of books, specimens, and money, has been com- 

 puted by those who know best, to be about .$200,000. To all these 

 must be added his entire time ynd energies during his whole life. 

 Other men have donated larger sums for benevolent objects, but Dr. 

 Wilson's great merit consists in this, that he appreciated the para- 



