342 On Preserving Organie Specimens. 
the folios of botanical specimens, they must each contain a vessel 
partly filled with unslacked lime, which will always maintain 
when the door is kept shut, an inclosed atmosphere of such ex- 
treme dryness that no ional thing 9 can exist there, and no chemi-_ 
cal change go on. 
_ Lam Of opinion, that as Saisuaté are in the habit of mutually 
3 interchanging specimens, . they would find it greatly to their ad- 
vantage ‘to adopt a somewhat similar mode of enveloping the 
packages to be sent. The length of the tin or zinc. boxes should 
be about twenty two inches, the breadth near thirteen, and the 
thickness from one to six inches. 'The opening for the cover 
may then be twenty one by twelve inches; and the cover, be- 
sides having six or eight nut and- screw factmici may be ce- 
mented on by bees’ Wax or. sealing wax., On each side the spe- 
cimens next the metal, may be placed thin, layers of powdered 
quick lime in cotton batting. In this way, no damage would be 
likely to occur to specimens. in transportation. ‘These boxes, 
having no other use, might be considered as belonging: to the 
fraternity of botanists, rather than to individuals. 
In conclusion, I cannot but anticipate that the mode of corns 
collections or museums of plants, by inclosing handsome speci- 
mens behind glass,-will hereafter contribute greatly to the diffu- 
sion. and improvement of botanical science, It is not my design, 
at this time, to set forth in detail the various excellences and 
advantages of such a method. To the reflecting reader they 
answering admirably i in. preserving collections of insects. Even 
miniatures, larger paintings, documents, in short, almost any sub- 
stance, whether of organic or inorganic: Bary may be. thus 
saved fom the merciless hand of time. 
_New Orleans, November 26, 1838, 
