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The Museum now contains specimens illustrating Geology, 
Mineralogy, Palzontology, Botany, Zoology, Archeology, a few of 
the Arts and Sciences, and a number of specimens which may be 
arranged under the title of Miscellaneous. 
For purposes of description, these may be divided into British 
and Foreign, the former more particularly representing the neigh- 
bourhood. The Foreign specimens comprise many of the minerals, 
about half of the coins, a few of the Botanical and Zoological 
series, and most of the Miscellaneous. 
With the British collection we are more immediately interested, 
illustrating, as it does, the life history of the country in which we 
live. Eminently a mining district, West Cumberland should be 
well represented by minerals. Those we possess comprise chiefly 
the various ores of iron, lead, and copper. Cornwall provides us 
with tin; and ores of silver and manganese we have also. 
The Mountain Limestone of the district provides us with a 
large series of fossils. Unfortunately, no record has been kept of 
the localities from which these are derived, consequently their 
value as a collection is very greatly diminished. Future donors of 
fossils will, therefore, render a great service, by indicating the 
formation and locality in which their specimens are found. Owing 
to the difficulty of correctly naming them, the arrangement of the 
fossils has not yet been commenced, and will probably be a work 
of time. 
The Archeological collection includes a number of coins, 
specimens of Roman pottery (the origin of which I do not know), 
and a number of drawings of fragments from St. Bees, admirably 
described by Canon Knowles, to whom I am indebted for aid in 
deciphering several of the coins. I would suggest that the 
drawings should be placed in a portfolio, where they would be 
most effectually preserved. 
The Botanical collection embraces that of Mrs. Pratten; and, 
within the last fortnight, has been further increased by two hundred 
and fifty specimens of plants collected in this district during last 
summer by the Botanical section of the Association, of which Mr. 
Adair is President. When complete, this collection will be most 
valuable. The specimens will be placed in the drawers of a 
cabinet in the library, along with a number of the London Cata- 
