28 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



his native city, Norwich, where he thenceforth lived the greater 

 part of the year, giving two to three months in each year to 

 London in the spring, for the Anniversary Meeting of the 

 Society, until lie died in March, 1828. 



It is not very easy to trace Smith's usage of the Linnean 

 Collections, as slender indications have to be pieced together to 

 form a whole. 



The Minerals, as already recorded, were sold in 1796. 



The Zoological collections were not retained intact, for many 

 drawers of Lcpidoptera now contain specimens ticketed exclu- 

 sively in Smith's handwriting; whether these were interpolations 

 or substitutions cannot now be ascertained, but the bulk of the 

 collection appear to be of Liimsean origin, many having Linnseus's 

 original tickets in proof of this. 



Of the Botanical specimens, some were given away, Banks 

 receiving certain of Mutis's plants*, and a specimen of Dia- 

 pensia laj)j)ou/ca gathered by Liuna-us given to Davall f, &c. 

 Smith made many notes in pencil on the sheets of the herbarium, 

 but happily the herbarium, as a whole, is substantially as it was 

 left by the younger Liune. Of its present state, a fuller account 

 will be given hereafter. 



III. Possession by the Linnean Society. 



It Avas the universal expectation of the Society that its founder 

 would bequeatli to it the Linnean Collections, and in this 

 belief it continued to annually re-elect him President, although 

 for thirty -two years he had only resided in London during two 

 or three months in each year, leaving the conduct of the Society's 

 affairs to the Council and the Chairmanship during three-fourths 

 of each Session to the Vice-Presidents. It was therefore with 

 great surprise that on 15th March, 1828, the Council received 

 an oiFer from the executor of Sir James Smith of the collections 

 for the sum of £5000. On the 6th of the following month the 

 Council resolved to place the offer before the Anniversary Meet- 

 ing, which was done, a sub-committee being appointed to con- 

 sider the proposal. The outcome of the negotiations was, that 

 on Dec. lt)th tlie Society was about to decline to purchase, even 

 at the reduced amount of £40U0, but no positive decision was 

 taken. On February 10th, 1S29, the executor reduced his 

 terms to 3000 guii:eas, which was accepted, and on March 24th 

 the Treasurer was authorized to pay £2000, and to raise the 

 balance of £1150 by bonds bearing interest at 5 per cent. The 

 Subscription raised amongst the Fellows amounted to £1593 8s. 



* " The Banksian Herbarium was in the course of seven mouths compared 

 with that of Limuvus throughout, to their mutual advantJige, by a copious 

 intcrcliange, not only of infornnition, but of specimens." Lacliesis, pref. p. ix. 

 In otlier words, tlic herbai-ia of Banks and Smith were enriched at the exijense 

 of the Linnean herbarium. 



t Smith, Corresp. ii. pp. 22, 27. 



