6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [1888 



well as the space would permit ; but the apartments were too 

 dark aud gloomy for efficient use, and members of the Academy, 

 as well as other persons, soon became dissatisfied with the in- 

 adequate accommodations of the place, and gradually gave up 

 coming to examine the specimens. 



In 1884 the Academy Avas solicited by the Maryland State 

 Commissioners of the New Orleans Cotton Exposition to allow 

 its collections to be taken to that city, to aid the display of the 

 State of Maryland. In an evil hour, permission was generously 

 given, and a contract was executed to secure the specimens and 

 to have them returned in as good condition as when taken away, 

 with their labels and attachments intact. The specimens were 

 taken to New Orleans, and constituted an exhibit which was a 

 matter of great pride to many of our citizens, and a pleasure 

 to multitudes who visited them there. This, however, did not 

 prevent a neglect to fulfil the conditions of agreement between 

 the Commissioners and the Academy. No proper sense of 

 responsibility was displayed by the authorities in charge of the 

 specimens at the Exposition ; the boxes were not labelled with 

 the name of the Academy, so as to be recognized as its property ; 

 a large number of the specimens were never returned to the 

 Societv ; and the labels were removed or lost from such as were 

 sent back. Among these were the types of fossils representative 

 of the Cretaceous and Eocene formations, secured by Mr. Tyson 

 while prosecuting his researches relative to the geology of 

 Maryland. 



x'^ffcer several appeals to the Legislature of Maryland, and to 

 the City Council of Baltimore, for pecuniary aid in securing a 

 permanent building for its valuable collections, and failing to 

 receive a favorable response, the Academy determined to give 

 up further attempts to establish a public museum. 



The Academy has recently decided to relinquish the develop- 

 ment of a public museum, and has given to the Johns Hopkins 

 University the specimens and cases which were lodged in its 

 hall, but it does not dissolve because of this disposition of the 

 property. An opportunity is now secured to go forward in 

 publishing the manuscript materials which have been accumu- 

 lating for years in its records and archives ; and perhaps the 



