30 PROCEEDINGS OF TUB 



to report of the state of the Liunean Herbarium, and to suggest 

 any desirable means of pres^ervirig it from injury, a due con- 

 sideration to the facility of reference being observed." 



At the Anniversary Meeting iu 1856, the President, Prof. 

 Thomas Bell, read a report presented to the previous Council, 

 from which the following extracts are taken : — 



" Eeport presented to the Council, May 6, 1856. 



" The Committee of Council, consisting of the President, Mr. 

 Bentham, Mr. "Wilson Saunders, and the Secretary [Mr. J. J. 

 Bennett], were appointed, on the 1st of April, 1856, ' to examine 

 the Books, Manuscripts, and Collections, forming the Library and 

 Museum of Linnaeus, and to report to the Council : — 



" '"What they respectively consist of; 



" ' "Where they are now respectively deposited ; 



" ' In what state they are respectively ; and 



" ' "Whether any suggestions may occur to the Committee 

 with reference to their preservation and exhibition to the Fel- 

 lows of the Society and Visitors,' reported as follows : — 



" The Committee have held several meetings . . . ; the results 

 of their investigation may best be stated under the general 

 heads of Books, Manuscripts, Plants, Insects, Shells, Fishes, and 

 Miscellaneous Zoological specimens. " 



"1. Books. 



"... The Committee consider it highly desirable that the 

 Natural-History Library of Linnaeus should be separated from 

 the rest of the Society's books . . . That for the future these 

 volumes be not lent out to the Fellows without the special 

 permission of the Council." 



" 2 . Man uscrip ts. 



" The Manuscripts .... are in an excellent state of preser- 

 vation .... "When the Society is able to afford it, the corre- 

 spondence should be mounted on guards and bound in volumes." 



"3. Plants. 



"The Herbarium is contained in three upright narrow cabinets 

 formerly belonging to Linnaeus, and in which it has remained up 

 to the present time ; these cabinets are placed in the meeting- 

 room of the Society. The plants are in excellent condition, and 

 well protected in conformity with directions given by the Council 

 on the recommendation of a Committee in 1836. The Committee 

 recommend that these cabinets should be ... . conspicuously 

 distinguished . . . . " 



