30 PEOCEEDINQS OF THE 



The collections we possess, tlioufi;h of the greatest value, 

 happily cost nothing for their maintenance. As in other 

 Societies, it was originally our purpose to form collections which 

 would be useful to the Fellows, and Avould assist in the advance- 

 ment of Science. But we have, with these Societies, arrived at 

 the conclusion that with great institutions maintained by 

 Government for the special purpose of acquiring and preserving 

 objects of natural history, and freely accessible to every one, 

 there is no advantage in maintaining small and imperfect collec- 

 tions. The cost of their preservation and the space they occupy 

 is too great a price to pay for them. In 1863 the Society le- 

 solved to dispose of their general collections ; some were pre- 

 sented to museums, and others were sold by auction, but all, I 

 believe, became more serviceable to Science than v^^hen — hidden 

 away and inaccessible — they remained in our possession. Now 

 we have in our rooms the invaluable Linnagan collections, the 

 Herbarium of Sir James Smith, the great Wallichian Herbarium, 

 and the British Herbai'ium, with some other complete but less 

 important collections. With one exception these are in the 

 most satisfactory order, arranged in good cabinets, and requiring 

 no outlay for their maintenance. The Linusean Herbarium, still 

 preserved in the cabinets which they occupied in Linnaeus's study 

 at Upsala, is arranged according to the ' Species Plantarum ' ; 

 it has been rendered more easy of reference by placing on each 

 shelf the numbers of the genera which are placed on it. The 

 exception which I noted is the zoological collection of Linnaeus. 

 A Committee of Council has been examining into the state of 

 this collection. On account of the nature of the objects, and 

 because of the introduction of additional specimens by Sir James 

 Smith, the somewhat unwise zeal, subsequently manifested, for 

 putting some of the collections into new and neat order, and the 

 overcrowded state of others, these collections require some atten- 

 tion. Steps are being taken to secure their better accommoda- 

 tion and their preservation, as far as it is possible, in the state 

 in which they were acquired by the Society. This will be done 

 at a small cost. 



The revenue of the Society has been placed so clearly and 

 fully before you by the Treasurer that it would be presumption 

 in me to say anything whatever in regard to it. But as I liave 

 placed before you suwe details of the great spending departments 

 — the publications and the library — let me press on you the im- 

 portance of securing a suitable income to cany on the Society's 

 work. This income must be derived mainly from the annual 

 payments of the Fellows. The admission fees supply a some- 

 what regular revenue. They have averaged duriug the last five 

 years £250 a year. This means that we have added on an 

 average 42 members annually to the Society. The compositions 

 are a more irregular source of income. In 1882 they amounted 

 to £600, while in 1885 they yielded only £90. The number of 



