I 



1841.] THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION. Ill 



man, Dr. H. King, and myself, to whom your letter has been referred, with autho- 

 rity to make the necessary arrangements for availing ourselves of your generous 

 offer. 



I hasten to convey to you the acknowledgments of the members for this mark of 

 the interest you take in the Institution, and to assure you that, in accepting so 

 valuable a trust, the Institution duly appreciates the liberality manifested by you 

 as one of its members. 



I am requested by tlie chairman to communicate the above facts to you, and to 

 request you to let us know in what manner it will be most agreeable to you that the 

 transfer should be made, and upon what conditions. The expenses of the packing 

 up and transportation of your cabinet and books will, as a aatter of course, be de- 

 frayed by the Institution. • 



I sincerely hope that the Institution may, one day, have the means of purchasing 

 your collection, which is understood to be one of the best in France, and will cer- 

 tainly be by far the most extensive and valuable ever seen in the United States. 



I am, dear sir, with great regard, your friend and servant, 



FRANCIS MARKOE, Jr., 

 Corresponding Secretary National Institution. 



F. Castelnau, Esq., New-York. . 



New-York, August 7, 1841. 



Dear Sir : On my return to town from a trip in the country, I found your good 

 and kind letter, for which I beg to tender my most sincere thanks. It is with great 

 pleasure that I learn the Society's acceptance of my proposal of depositing my ento. 

 mological cabinet and books among its collections. That cabinet is generally con- 

 sidered very complete, and I hope it will prove of some interest to those engaged 

 in pursuits of natural history. 



The Society's museum, already valuable, will certainly, at an early day, become 

 an object of national pride, and I shall consider myself particularly fortunate if 

 Eoon so situated as to be able to contribute, by further additions in all branches of 

 natural history, to its progress and prosperity. 



The Garden of Plants of Paris, the greatest known collection of specimens of 

 natural history, began with means in all regards far below those possessed by our 

 Institution ; may the latter, by its rapid growth, soon overtake its elder sister, and 

 prove to the Old World that in sciences, as well as in enterprise, the United States 

 fear no competition. 



As to the means of forwarding the collection, I should judge that the most pro- 

 per would be its deliverance, in Paris, into the hands of the American Consul, who 

 would advise the most expedient way of sending it to this country. 



I am, dear sir, with the greatest respect, your friend and obedient servant, 



F. CASTELNAU. 



Note. — I will also give instructions for my herbarium of European and African 

 plants to be added to the other collections. 

 Francis Markue, Jr., Esq., 



Corresiionding Secretary of the National Institution. 



