55 

 resurgence of interest had several effects. The discovery of the 

 Coelacanth had been prominently featured in South Africa, but it 

 caused a far greater sensation overseas. As this continued to 

 come back full blast to the Union, many of those connected with 

 the Museum in East London came to feel that, in addition to its 

 apparently exceptional scientific interest, the specimen might be 

 worth a good deal as well. Since the Museum was in such poor 

 circumstances,* rather than just keep such a valuable specimen 

 would it not be better to sell it and use the money to develop the 

 Museum? A few protagonists of the old *Send it to the British 

 Museum' policy also raised their voices, and all this induced 

 Bruce-Bays to take action in the matter. Early in June he handed 

 Miss Latimer the draft of a letter which he asked her to type (she 

 was Curator, Secretary, Treasurer, and everything else). She 

 read it with amazement and dismay, for it was to offer the Coela- 

 canth to the British Museum of Natural History. She read it 

 again and again, but then and there decided that she would 

 never type it, that if it was sent she would resign, and promptly 

 told several members of the Board about it and her resolve. A 

 few days later Bruce-Bays came in and asked her if she had done 

 that letter. She said she had not typed it, would never type it, 

 and in what she considers one of the longest and warmest speeches 

 she has ever made, told him in no uncertain terms what she thought 

 of the whole thing. Miss Latimer expected opposition and even 

 violence, but instead this mature, influential man was so over- 

 whelmed by her personality and arguments that at the conclusion 

 of this speech he quite meekly said it would be in order to leave 

 the letter and the whole matter. It was so surprising a victory that 

 Miss Latimer said it just took her breath away. 



This did not end the matter, it came up again, and early in 

 July 1939 I was asked to come to East London to advise the Board 

 of Trustees of the Museum about it. This I did, pointing out to 

 them how much the actual specimen would mean to their Mu- 

 seum, far more than any sum of money even greater than its 

 value. It would constantly attract world-wide attention. That has 

 been amply borne out by the course of subsequent events, and 

 the Coelacanth was the first real step to fame for that Museum. 



• Despite this, the Board of Trustees of the Museum had voted a suitable 

 gratuity to Captain Goosen for what he had done. 



