REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL WORK COMMITTEE 807 



History of British Museum Collections. 

 Certain botanic collections formed part of the British Museum 

 at its institution in 1753. These were the collections of Sir Hans 

 Sloane, consisting of dried plants, the Sloane Herbaria, often 

 spoken of in this report as the pre-Linnean Herbaria, and of woods, 

 fruits, &c. No very large additions seem to have been made to 

 these collections between 1753 and 1820. 



The Eoyal Botanic Gardens at Kew, begun in the middle of the 

 eighteenth century by the then Dowager Princess of Wales, were 

 very largely developed during the latter part of that century and the 

 beginning of the next by His Majesty George III., with the assistance 

 and advice of Sir Joseph Banks. Though the gardens were the pri- 

 vate property of the Crown, they were enriched, at the expense of 

 the nation, by the results of various expeditions, and by specimens 

 obtained from the Colonies and elsewhere. The living plants were 

 cultivated in the gardens, the dried plants were retained by Sir 

 Joseph Banks, and thus contributed to form the valuable herbarium 

 known as the Banksian Herbarium. This herbarium Sir Joseph 

 Banks kept at his residence in Soho Square ; but there is some 

 evidence that a duplicate herbarium was kept in the gardens. This 

 latter, however, subsequently disappeared. At his death, in 1820, 

 Sh' Joseph Banks bequeathed this Banksian Herbarium, together 

 with his library, drawings, &c., " usually kept in ... , my house 

 in Soho Square," to his librarian, Robert Brown, for "his use and 

 enjoyment during his life, and after his decease to the British 

 Museum." One condition of the bequest was that Robert Brown 

 should "assist the superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens at 

 Kew as he also now does." The Will provides that the collections 

 might with Robert Brown's assent pass into the hands of the 

 Trustees of the British Museum during Robert Brown's lifetime. 

 In 1827 this transference was made, Robert Brown becoming at 

 the same time an Under Librarian of the Museum, with the 

 additional title of "Keeper of the Banksian Botanical Collections," 

 he having charge of these alone, and not of the other botanical 

 collections. In 1885 Robert Brown became " Keeper of the 

 Botanical Department," the whole of the botanical collections 

 being placed under his care. The foundation of the botanical 

 collections at the British Museum was thus supplied by the Sloane 

 Herbaria and the Banksian Herbarium, together with fruits, 

 woods, &c. Under Robert Brown and succeeding keepers the 

 botanical collections were increased. The Banksian Herbarium, 

 by the addition of new specimens, was developed into what is now 

 known as the "General Herbarium," the Sloane Herbaria being 

 kept distinct. In 1859 a separate collection of British plants, the 

 British Herbarium, was formed. In 1881, when the Natural 

 History Department was transferred from Bloomsbury to Crom- 

 well Road, the General Herbarium consisted of 509 cabinets of 

 specimens. Since that date large additions have been made ; the 

 number of cabinets is now 1560, containing 1,673,000 specimens. 



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