62 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Feb. 



as it goes is good — they suffer no harm ; and seeing that what is thus 

 to their notice presented is not displeasing, there is the hope that 

 on some future occasion they may be induced even to contribute 

 to that which so much pleases and instructs others. But the 

 number of such persons — who can go through, perhaps, an exten- 

 sive museum without deriving any benefit whatever, is probably 

 very small ; and if there be any, he or she is at least in no worse 

 position than a certain eminent navigator who minded exclusively 

 his own nautical business, and returned home from his voyages in 

 Child-like ignorance of the artful ways of mankind — so that his 

 friends jokingly said of him, ' he has been all round the world, but 

 never in it.' 



" I am sure, sir, that it would be tedious to listen to details of 

 the advantages proposed and expected to be realized by a society 

 or institution that embraces among its purposes the making of a col- 

 lection of specimens. In most of the older museums very small atten- 

 tion was commonly paid to the points I have alluded to, what have 

 been callen industrial and economic purposes. The beauty, the rich- 

 ness, the rarity, and curious nature of the objects illustrated, were 

 commonly the main agencies by which the attention and admiration 

 of visitors were moved. No one could say justly that these attributes 

 are not perfectly legitimate, and worthy of especial provision in a 

 public museum, viewed as a repository of what is considered valu- 

 able on account of its rarity, or because suggestive of interesting 

 or important historical incidents. The majority of people for a 

 very long time to come will probably regard with deep interest 

 such objects as the spurs of King Hfenry the Fifth, the watch 

 used by Oliver Cromwell, the snuff-box of Napoleon Bonaparte, 

 the sword of General Wolf, and the relics of personal effects be- 

 longing to Sir John Franklin and his followers, recovered some 

 years after their lamented owners had succumbed to their fate amid 

 the arctic snows. The bare si2;ht of these thino;s rouses in most 

 of US very strong emotions. As long as the world endures, human 

 nature will ever cherish the preservation of articles of this kind. 

 But it is much less common now than formerly to allot a large 

 share of space in a museum to their preservation and exhibition : 

 a more utilitarian disposition is everywhere prevalent — and col- 

 lections of specimens are expected to be composed of something 

 more than what may be denominated curiosities. 



" But a brief visit to the Museum of this Society, which I may 



