14 



him, which every Member of the Society must appreciate, 

 and which deserves the most emphatic expression of grati- 

 tude. 



It is ah'cady well known to the Society that his tem- 

 porary return from Egypt fortunately coincided with the 

 period which had been fixed on for the transport of the 

 Hippopotamus, and that he gave his personal superinten- 

 dence to the circumstances of the voyage. To his watch- 

 ful care, to the liberality of the Directors of the Peninsular 

 and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, to the attention 

 of Capt. Moresby and the Officers of the '•' Ripon,^' and to 

 the faithful services of Hamet Saafi Cannana, the Society 

 is mainly indebted for the results which placed the now 

 world-celebrated gift of the Viceroy in its present position, 

 and raised the collection of Pachydermata to a point of 

 value and interest which it had never previously ap- 

 proached. 



Independently of the peculiar claims on public atten- 

 tion which exist in this extraordinary animal, the renown, 

 which the possession of him secures to the Society, has 

 been the means of placing the value, usefulness, and beauty 

 of the General Collection rightly before the Public. In 

 the engrossing interest with which this great acquisi- 

 tion is regarded, the General Collection is not to be lightly 

 passed over ; for the Council have never lost sight of the 

 necessity of continuing by every means in their power to 

 secure whatever new form can possibly be transported to 

 this country in illustration of the various organization of 

 Animal Creation. And it is therefore with peculiar satis- 

 faction that they find their endeavours in this direction 

 meet with constantly recurring sympathy among residents 

 in the Colonies, among Men of Science in the most distant 

 regions, and among the most powerful Princes. 



The illustrious patronage with which Her Majesty and 

 His Royal Highness Prince Albert have always favoured 

 the Society is still continued to it, both by personal visits 

 and by gracious gifts. It is a subject of sincere regret 

 that the magnificent specimen of T'estudo Elephantopus, 

 which was presented by Her Majesty in August last, and 

 which was a source of wonder and interest to many thou- 

 sands of her subjects during the autumn, has not survived 

 the winter, although every possible precaution was taken 

 to secure its safety . The other donations with which Her 



