﻿IREDAIE 
  : 
  SOLANDEK 
  A.S 
  A 
  CONCHOLOGIST. 
  87 
  

  

  Much 
  as 
  I 
  would 
  have 
  delighted 
  to 
  acquiesce 
  in 
  this 
  disposition 
  the 
  

   facts 
  seemed 
  to 
  negative 
  such 
  a 
  proceeding, 
  and 
  therefore 
  I 
  put 
  these 
  

   before 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Edgar 
  A. 
  Smith, 
  I.S.O., 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum. 
  

   Mr. 
  Smith 
  at 
  once 
  turned 
  up 
  a 
  note 
  made 
  by 
  himself 
  some 
  thirty 
  

   years 
  ago 
  wherein 
  he 
  had 
  investigated 
  the 
  matter 
  and 
  had 
  rejected 
  

   the 
  book 
  as 
  "anonymous 
  and 
  with 
  no 
  descriptions". 
  Under 
  the 
  

   present 
  laws 
  anonymity 
  is 
  no 
  bar 
  to 
  acceptance, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  

   though 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  descriptions, 
  a 
  definite 
  refei'ence 
  to 
  the 
  figure 
  

   of 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  given 
  cannot 
  be 
  disputed. 
  Mr. 
  Smith 
  then 
  concluded 
  

   that 
  under 
  the 
  present 
  laws 
  the 
  names 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  citation 
  of 
  

   a 
  published 
  figure 
  are 
  perfectly 
  valid 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  recognized, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Sherborn 
  has 
  agreed. 
  I 
  have 
  therefore 
  considered 
  it 
  advisahle, 
  

   since 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  rare 
  book, 
  to 
  give 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  contents 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  regards 
  

   conchological 
  science. 
  The 
  title-page 
  of 
  the 
  Portland 
  Catalogue 
  

   reads: 
  "A 
  | 
  Catalogue 
  | 
  of 
  the 
  | 
  Portland 
  Museum, 
  | 
  lately 
  the 
  

   property 
  of 
  | 
  The 
  Duchess 
  Dowager 
  of 
  Portland, 
  | 
  Deceased: 
  | 
  which 
  

   will 
  be 
  Sold 
  by 
  Auction, 
  | 
  by 
  | 
  Mr. 
  Skinner 
  and 
  Co. 
  | 
  On 
  Monday 
  

   the 
  24th 
  of 
  April, 
  1786, 
  | 
  and 
  the 
  | 
  Thirty-seven 
  following 
  Days 
  | 
  At 
  

   Twelve 
  O'Clock, 
  | 
  Sundays, 
  and 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  June, 
  (the 
  Day 
  hi& 
  

   Majesty's 
  Birth-Day 
  | 
  is 
  kept) 
  excepted 
  ; 
  | 
  At 
  her 
  late 
  Dwelling- 
  

   House, 
  I 
  In 
  Privy-Garden, 
  Whitehall 
  ; 
  | 
  By 
  Order 
  of 
  the 
  Acting 
  

   Executrix. 
  | 
  To 
  be 
  viewed 
  Ten 
  Days 
  preceding 
  the 
  Sale. 
  | 
  Catlogues 
  

   may 
  now 
  be 
  had 
  on 
  the 
  Premises, 
  and 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Skinner 
  | 
  and 
  Co., 
  

   Aldersgate-Street, 
  Price 
  Five 
  Shillings, 
  which 
  will 
  admit 
  | 
  the 
  Bearer 
  

   during 
  the 
  Time 
  of 
  E.xhiliition 
  and 
  Sale." 
  The 
  Preface 
  begins 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  proper 
  to 
  inform 
  the 
  Purchasers 
  of 
  the 
  Catalogue, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Public 
  in 
  general. 
  That 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  one 
  Article 
  contained 
  in 
  it 
  but 
  

   "was 
  a 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  Genuine 
  Collection 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Noble 
  Possessor, 
  

   Margaret 
  Cavendish, 
  Duchess 
  Dowager 
  of 
  Portland 
  ... 
  in 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  every 
  Subject 
  is 
  inserted 
  she 
  had 
  with 
  so 
  much 
  Pains 
  and 
  

   Treasure 
  accumulated. 
  And 
  here 
  it 
  will 
  appear, 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  Three 
  

   Kingdoms 
  of 
  Nature, 
  the 
  Animal, 
  Vegetable, 
  and 
  Fossil, 
  were 
  

   comprehended 
  in 
  her 
  Researches. 
  In 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  she 
  took 
  infinite 
  

   Pleasure 
  and 
  Delight; 
  but 
  in 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  her 
  Cabinet 
  more 
  

   richly 
  stored 
  than 
  in 
  that 
  durable 
  and 
  beautiful 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  First, 
  

   named 
  Conchology 
  . 
  In 
  this 
  Branch 
  of 
  Nature's 
  Works, 
  no 
  Collection 
  

   in 
  Europe 
  can 
  equal 
  that 
  of 
  her 
  Grace's 
  in 
  Number 
  and 
  Variety. 
  

   To 
  give 
  some 
  I<lea 
  of 
  its 
  great 
  Extent, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  remarked, 
  that 
  the 
  

   celebrated 
  Linnaeus, 
  who 
  had 
  studied 
  the 
  Subject, 
  and 
  methodized 
  

   the 
  Materials 
  of 
  it, 
  has 
  not 
  described 
  One 
  Fourth 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  Objects 
  

   contained 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  mtw 
  oifered 
  to 
  the 
  Public. 
  It 
  was 
  indeed 
  

   in 
  the 
  Intention 
  of 
  the 
  enlightened 
  Possessor 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  every 
  

   unknown 
  Species 
  described 
  and 
  published 
  to 
  the 
  World 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  pleased 
  

   God 
  to 
  cut 
  short 
  the 
  Design, 
  not 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  Death 
  of 
  the 
  ingenious 
  

   Naturalist 
  employed 
  l)y 
  her 
  for 
  that 
  Purpose* 
  (*Z)r. 
  Solander) 
  ; 
  but, 
  

   in 
  a 
  short 
  Time 
  afterwards, 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  and 
  irreparable 
  Loss 
  of 
  

   Science, 
  by 
  her 
  oivn 
  also 
  ... 
  It 
  is 
  hoped, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  Man 
  

   of 
  Science 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  altogether 
  disappointed 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   Arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  Catalogue; 
  for 
  as 
  much 
  Pains 
  and 
  Care 
  have 
  

   been 
  taken 
  to 
  affix 
  the 
  proper 
  classical, 
  or 
  generally 
  received 
  Names, 
  

  

  