68 The President's Address. 



taken, however, I would pledge myself to accept tlie suggestions of 

 this committee, and to allow my materials to be utilised, subject only 

 to such conditions as it might think right to impose. 



" This is what I want. What I do not want is, that my material 

 should be employed merely for dilettante work. 



" Knowing the keen interest you take in the Society, I do not 

 hesitate to make these proposals to you, and to ask you to commu- 

 nicate with Mr. Glaisher on the subject." 



On receipt of this letter I carefully thought over the sug- 

 gested conditions, and I kept the letter for some time, but 

 experienced very great difficulties indeed in drawing up 

 any conditions which would not restrict the Council, for all 

 time to come, in such a way as would lessen the Council's 

 power to utilise the gift, and thus far lessen its value. 



It seemed to me that so much material, needing a good 

 deal of work to prepare the results for publication, might be 

 undertaken by some of our hard-working Fellows in the 

 country, and therefore the conditions should be such as to 

 leave the Council free to let them, for a time, be in the hands 

 of country members, if necessary. 



On November 26th I had a long and final inter\iew with 

 Mr. Ince upon this matter, who undertook to communicate 

 to Dr. Wallich my views and the results of our conference, 

 which he did on November 27th. On November 28th, Dr. 

 Wallich wrote to Mr. Ince as follows : 



" Lest any misgiving may exist or arise on the subject, I think it 

 as well to ptit thus on record, in order that you may make whatever 

 use you like of the information, that I submit the offer of my collec- 

 tions, drawings, &c., to the Society, hampered by no condition or 

 reservation tchatever. The few words in which you conveyed to me 

 last evening your opinion that means would be taken to prevent 

 slides, (fee, from being lost, having at once met the sole purpose I 

 had in my mind when I previously wrote to you on the subject. 



" "When I add that I feel sure the Society will, through its present 

 executive (supposing my offer to be deemed fit for acceptance), do 

 whatever is best in the matter, I have said all I have to say." 



Thus, generously and unconditionally. Dr. Wallich pre- 

 sented the " W^allich Collection" to this Society. 



It then appeared to Mr. Ince and myself, that if Dr. 

 Wallich could go over the slides, and make brief notes on 

 anything necessary, that great additional value would be 

 given. 



On December 5th, Dr. Wallich, in a letter to Mr. Ince, 

 says : 



" I have commenced going over the slides in my cabinet, and see 

 so much that I should like to make a brief note of, for submission to 

 the Society, with the specimens themselves, that I cannot help think- 

 ing it would be highly desirable to defer making over the collection 



