7'64 MONTHLY SUMMARY 



necessary for him to reluni on his footsteps to procure the 

 seeds of the plants which he saw in flower on his advance, or his 

 first year in South Brazil would have passed almost without return. 

 He now, however, knows the language, the people, and the 

 country, and he goes on to his proper beat in the interior with 

 much greater chances of success. We shall wait with impatience 

 the returns which next year may produce. 



Museum, Reading-room, &c. — A list of the Donations to the 



Museum will be found on the cover. It will be seen that a very fair 

 sprinkling of the horticultural contents of the Exhibition building 

 is finding its way into the possession of the Society^ Valuable 

 contributions have also come from other sources. The most inte- 

 resting of the apples and. pears exhibited at the International 

 Fruit Show have been modelled. The large collection of wax 

 fruits at Chiswickisready to be brought up to Kensington. Cases 

 are being prepai'ed, and so soon as the Society can obtain space in 

 the building from the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851, 

 the Council are prepared to open their Museum. Small though 

 it be, they conceive that it will prove both useful and interesting, and 

 they do not doubt that when it is seen that they are in earnest in 

 their object, and that there really is a fair nucleus for a collection, 

 the Fellows, both at home and abroad, will take an interest in 

 adding to it 



At present, while the fate of the Exhibition building is still 

 uncertain — while it is yet unknown whether it is to be removed or 

 not, in whole or in part, it is, of course, impossible to anticipate 

 whether any or what space will be conceded to the Society for this 

 purpose. The utmost that we can do at this stage is to point out 

 what would appear to be best suited to the Society's purpose. No 

 portion of the building would suit them better than the ground-floor 

 of the South-eastern Arcade, whichwas occupied by M.Veillard. To 

 this the Society could have a convenient entrance from the Council- 

 room portico, on the left hand. The space in question is large, well- 

 lighted, and could be comfortably heated. There is room not 

 only for the necessary display of a museum, but for a library and 

 reading-tables, as well as space for the exhibition of plants of 

 special interest, whether from the Society^s own gardens, or those 

 of any Fellow or nurseryman who may choose to send them there 

 for exhibition. If this practice were once established, fresh eX" 

 amples of such plants would never be wanting. Hoc erat in votis 



and there seems no reason why the wish should not be had. 



