118 THE CAPE HERBARIUMi 



At last Mr. llawson W. Eawsou, tlie Colonial Secretary, iuducecltlie 

 Government to give the family 4'4U0 for it. Its value then, before it 

 had deteriorated by bad housing and years of neglect, might have 

 been about £1200. It was stored away, now in one place and now in 

 another, much as oathay is stored, and suffered from the inevitable 

 insects which prey on dried plants and also from rain dripping 

 through the roof of its presumed shelter. Then it was, at Dr. J. C. 

 Brown's suggestion, housed in a room over the Grey Library, and 

 was at least dry. Dr. Harvey was apprised of the Government 

 acquisition, and in 1864 offered to use it in the preparation of his 

 Flora Capensis, and select and mount from it a study series of auto- 

 graphically certified types. This he did to the end of Volume III., 

 when the work was cut short by his premature death. Subse- 

 quently the collection was returned to the Cape, and this study set 

 was lodged in seven cabinets of the Kew pattern, under direction of 

 Mr. Brown. 



As nothing was being done for the collection, not even subli- 

 mating the typical study-set to prevent insect raids. Professor 

 MacOwan, who was then living in Graham's Town, addressed Sir 

 Philip Wodehouse on the subject in 1867, pointing out that nothing 

 had been done for its preservation. The collection was no longer 

 in charge of Dr. Brown, whose office of Colonial Botanist had been 

 abolished, and it appeared to be nobody's business to do anything 

 for it, as Mr. Trimen of the South African Museum refused to take 

 it in charge. Professor MacOwan offered to house it at his own 

 expense under control of the Albany Museum, and to supply the 

 needful cabinets at his own charges. The reply was that it was not 

 desirable to transfer the collection to the Eastern Provinces. East 

 and West differences were then very pronounced. The collection 

 was therefore placed in charge of Mr. James McGibbon, the gardener, 

 but when Sir Henry Barkly succeeded Sir Philip Wodehouse, Mr. 

 MacOwan, knowing him to be a well-informed amateur botanist, 

 renewed his application. Sir Henry Barkly, without giving any 

 notice to the custodian, asked to see the collection, and when dis- 

 played it was found that insect industry had destroyed scores of 

 Harvey's valuable types. He took care, however, that the custodian 

 should immediately treat the whole study-set in the proper manner 

 with sublimate, so as to stop any turther mischief, and generally 

 kept things up to the mark by occasional inspeciiuns. 



In Eebruary, 1881, Mr. MacOwan was appointed curator, in 

 addition to the duty of director of the Botanic (jrardens. Nine new 

 cabinets were at once added and tilled, and these were increased 

 subsequently by seven. The new curator added his private her- 

 barium of European plants, numbering some 50U0 sheets. Until 

 the removal of the culleciion to the new Agricultural Offices in 

 Grave Street, the herbarium housing arrangements were very 

 inadequate and inconvenient. There is not much to complain 

 of now, though the Government Botanist, in his anxiety for his 

 charge and his scientific enthusiasm, could doubtless point out 

 some shortcomings. It is not very accessible, indeed at the top 

 of the building, and there is always a dread of the recurrence of 



