Ixviii Proceedings. 



Mr. Gushing, who was appointed our delegate at the Annual 

 Meeting of the British Association at Oxford, in August, 1894, 

 gives me the following account of the proceedings of the con- 

 ferences of the delegates of corresponding societies held in con- 

 nection with that meeting : — 



British Association Meeting at Oxford, 1894. 



During the meeting of the British Association at Oxford in August 

 last there were two conferences of delegates representing various corre- 

 sponding societies from all parts of the United Kingdom, and of which 

 the Croydon Microscopical and Natural History Club was one. At the 

 first conference, held on Aug. 9th, an instructive and exhaustive paper 

 was read by Mr. Cuthbert Peek on Local Museums, with suggestions 

 for their management and improvement. The principal points raised 

 and discussed were on "Methods of registration and cataloguing ; the 

 protection of specimens from injury and dust ; the circulation of speci- 

 mens and type-collections for educational purposes; central referees 

 for nomenclature and classification ; the most satisfactory methods of 

 making museums attractive ; museum lectures and demonstrations ; 

 and the relations between museums and County Councils." The sub- 

 ject was most ably treated by Mr. Peek under all the above headings, 

 and much useful information was given both in the paper itself and in 

 the subsequent discussion ; but throughout the proceedings there 

 seemed to be no points of special value to us in Croydon at the pre- 

 sent time, as in all cases it was assumed, a priori, that a museum was 

 already in existence, which unfortunately is not the case here. The 

 information obtained, however, may be useful to us at some futiu-e 

 time, should it ever be the good fortune of the burgesses of Croydon to 

 successfully impress upon the municipal authorities the necessity of 

 establishing a museum and an ai-t gallery on a similar basis to the 

 Public Library, already so successfully established and appreciated ; 

 as it seems to me tliat there is no satisfactory way of ensuring the 

 proper care and exlubition of specimens and collections and the per- 

 manence of a museum, however weU one might be started by private 

 munificence, otherwise than by its estabHshment by the local County 

 Council. 



"While on this subject, I should like to place on record the opinion 

 that I think there is reason to beHeve that in the past Croydon has lost 

 some valuable collections which might have remained here and en- 

 riched a local museum had there been a well-equipped institution in 

 which they could have been deposited and cared for, and there is no 

 doubt that if such a museum were once established it would soon 

 attract valuable contributions from many sources. It therefore be- 

 comes a question whether, in the near future, the Committee of the 

 Croydon Microscopical and Natural History Club might not consider 

 it desirable to approach the Croydon County Council on the subject. 

 Until something of this kind is done, and a permanent museum is 

 established, I see no way of making any use of the valuable siiggestions 

 afforded by the reading and discussion of Mr. Cuthbert Peek's most 

 interesting paper. 



The second conference was held on Aug. 14th, when various sub- 

 jects were brought up for discussion, such as meteorological and 



