25 



may be usefully recorded here. They remark that " in the 

 earlier years of the Society, numerous objects of Natural History, 

 iiud several collections were presented to the Society, and received 

 with the general and somewhat vague idea of forming a Museum. 

 After a 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 investigations 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 the Society. Ten years ago, 

 therefore, the Council, after much deliberation, laid it down as a 

 rule for their guidance, that the income of the Society should be 

 applied chiefly" to the more immediate purposes for which the 

 latter was established ; " and they thenceforward not only gave it 

 to be understood that it was not the Society's object to form such 

 a general Museum, but they actually declined several large 

 collections which had at different times been offered. It having, 

 nevertheless, again been brought to the notice of the Council, that 

 in addition to the old stores, a gradual accumulation had taken 

 place of isolated objects and small collections, and that the attics 

 and garrets were full of parceils and cases which neither were, nor 

 could be, of any practical use in their present state," — the 

 statement then adds— they determined to part with the main 

 portion of their collections as above mentioned.* 



Now, I trust it will not be supposed that I have entered into 

 these details, respecting what has been done by other Societies, 

 vnth the view of throwing any discouragement on the formation 

 of Museums. I would simply Avish, except in the case of large 



'* Proceed, of Linn. Soc, Apr. 16, and June 4, 1863. 



