LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. vii 



April 16, 1863. 



Special Meeting. 



George Bentham, Esq., President, iu the Chair. 



Ernest Adams, M.D,, and Richard Hawksworth Barnes, Esq., 

 were elected PeUows. 



The following Papers were read, viz. : — 



1. The commencement of a Memoir on Restiacece ; by M. T. 

 Masters, M.D., P.L.S. 



2. "On some New Species of Amomum from West Africa;" 

 by Professor Oliver, P.L.S,, and Daniel Hanbury, Esq., E.L.S. 

 (See * Botanical Proceedings,' vol. vii.) 



At the close of the Ordinary Meeting, the Society proceeded to 

 consider the proposals of the Council, contained in the following 

 Circular : — 



Linnean Society, Burlington House, W. 

 April 8, 1863. 



. Sir, — I am desired to inform you that a Special General Meet- 

 ing of the Society wiU be held here on Thursday, April 16th, at 

 half-past eight p.m., or so soon after as the business of the Ordi- 

 nary Meeting shall be concluded, for the consideration of the 

 recommendations of the Council, embodied in the following State- 

 ment : — 



" In the earlier years of the Linnean Society, numerous objects 

 of Natural History, and several Collections, were presented to 

 the Society, and received with the general and somewhat vague 

 idea of forming a Museum which, together with the Library, 

 should be open to the Pellows for consultation. 



"After some time, however, as the increasing number and 

 bulk of these collections were rapidly filling up the Society's 

 apartments, without any prospect of rendering the majority of 

 them available for use, it became necessary seriously to consider 

 the question of how these accumulations should be dealt with. 



" It was at once evident that, with the extent to which investi- 

 gations in Natural History are now carried out, the arrangement 

 and maintenance of a General Museum of Zoology and Botany, 

 in such a manner as to be really useful, would require a Building, 

 a staff of Curators, and other expenditure far beyond the means 

 of a private Society like ourselves, even should we forego for that 

 purpose other expenses which might much more immediately tend 

 to the promotion of the Society's main objects. 



