LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LOISTDO^T, 41 



This has gone on increasing regularly, until now the Pellows are 

 in possession of one of the largest and best collections of books 

 on natural history in England. Mr. Bentham took a special 

 interest in the Library, and when President made himself ac- 

 quainted, I may say without exaggeration, with every volume on 

 its shelves. Many deficiencies have through his efforts been 

 supplied, and under his care a catalogue of the books was prepared 

 and printed in ISG-i, which now most imperfectly represents the 

 extent and value of the Library. 



In the earlier years of tlie Society numerous objects of natural 

 history and several collections were presented to it, and received 

 with the vague idea of forming a museum which should be open 

 to the Fellows for consultation. In 1829 the Society purchased 

 the books, manuscripts, and collectious of Linn jbus, together with 

 the herbarium and collections of Sir James E. Smith, as our senior 

 Secretary has narrated. Then followed, in 1833, the munificent 

 gift by the East-India Company, on the recommendation of Dr. 

 Wallieh, of the type-collection of the great series of Indian plants 

 distributed by him, containing the complete set of all the 

 species. By a special subscription cases were provided for the 

 accommodation of these plants. But many of the collections 

 presented by generous and grateful Fellows had to be hidden 

 away in store-rooms or tied up and placed on shelves much needed 

 for the Library. After careful consideration the Fellows in 1863 

 adopted the recommendation of the Council to abandon the idea 

 of forming a regular museum, which they had not the means of 

 ever making practically useful, to retain the Linnean herbarium 

 and collections of every description, together with all the completed 

 and arranged collectious which would require the expenditure of 

 neither time nor money for preservation, and to get rid, either 

 by presentation or sale, of all the other isolated objects or col- 

 lections. This important resolution was immediately acted upou. 

 The Society retained in its possession only the priceless collections 

 of Linnaeus, Smith's herbarium, the great Indian herbarium, 

 a valuable British hei"barium, a small xlustralian herbarium, a 

 collection of fruits, and the Salmon collection of birds' eggs. 

 Except a small annual outlay for camphor, these collections entail 

 no cost to the Society, and we are able to devote all our available 

 revenue to the maintenance and increase of the Library and to the 

 illustration and publication of the memoirs and researches laid 

 before the meetings of the Fellows. 



This hasty sketch of our property would be incomplete with- 

 out a reference to the large series of paintings and sculptures 

 which adorn our rooms — valuable mainly, not because of the 

 artistic merits which they possess, but because they give us the 

 means ot vividly realizing the features of men whom vve all delight 

 to honour, of recalling departed Fellows whose society and frieud- 

 ship are priceless memories, or of looking on men who are held in 



