April 1902.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 207 



been materially injured and its usefulness impaired for 

 want of room. 



That, in consequence of want of accommodation at the 

 Garden, part of the specimens are now deposited in a room 

 in the Janitor's house at the College. 



That the cases holding the collection interfere at present 

 with the prosecution of Botany in consequence of diminish- 

 ing the size of the room in which the students meet for 

 practical work with the microscope. 



In these circumstances your Memorialists humbly request 

 that you will authorise steps to be taken for 

 securing additional accommodation at the Garden 

 for tins very valuable collection of plants, which 

 is the only public Herbarium in Scotland. 



Nothing seems to have come from this Memorial. 



The Minutes of the meeting, held at 5 St. Andrew 

 Square, lith December 1871, were signed by . the 

 President, Professor Wyville Thomson, on approval 11th 

 January 1872. These are tlie first Minutes of the 

 Society that are signed. 



At this same meeting a Committee was appointed, of 

 which Dr. Craig was Convener, to examine and report 

 on the present state and position of the Society's Library. 



At a meeting of the Council of the Society, held at 

 5 St. Andrew Square, on 30th January 1872, Dr. Craig 

 reported that he had visited the Society's Library, along 

 with Professor Balfour and Mr. Sadler, and he was of 

 opinion that there were upwards of 1000 volumes in the 

 Library, and that at least one-half of them required to 

 be bound. To put the books in order, make a cata- 

 logue, and provide cases for them would, he thought, cost 

 fully £100. He suggested that a Committee might be 

 appointed to ascertain whether Government would be 

 disposed to take the Library under their own charge, 

 and accommodate it in the Herbarium Hall at the Botanic 

 Garden. 



After some discussion, it was remitted to Professor 

 Balfour to have an interview with Dr. Lyon Playfair, and 

 Mr. Matheson of H.M. Office of Works, on the matter, 

 before taking any decisive steps. 



