106 WOODWARD: PROFESSOR SIR RICHARD OWEN, K.C.B. 



Professor Owen to the section Cephalopoda. Owen acknowledged 

 his indebtedness in a foot-note, 2nd edition, p. 114.] We refer to it 

 because a contemporary ("Natural Science," January, 1892) has said 

 of Part I. of this very article, ''This is one of the best examples of 

 Professor Owen's literary power of popular exposition of technical 

 details. 



Professor Owen found the Natural History Collections in the 

 old Museum at Bloomsbury, suffering from want of adequate exhi- 

 bition space, especially the Geological and Mineralogical Collections, 

 which, about that period, commenced to grow in a most alarming 

 manner, being then made into two new and separate keeperships, 

 the former under Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, the latter under Prof. N. S. 

 Maskelyne. 



The Recent shells suffered least of all, owing to the fact that 

 they had already acquired the entire floor-space of the Ornithological 

 Galleries, and even the accession of Mr. Hugh Cumming's famous 

 collection found space for itself in the numerous cabinets of drawers. 

 Put the Mammals, the Osteology, the Insects, Crustacea, &c, the 

 Bird-skins and the collection oi Fishes, Reptiles, &c, in spirits, 

 suffered all the tortures of "the black hole of Calcutta." 



We arc indebted to the untiring advocacy of Owen, who, in 

 season and out of season, in his annual reports to Parliament, in his 

 lectures, and in his pamphlets, drew attention to the great loss and 

 inconvenience suffered by science, owing to the restricted space 

 allotted to the Natural History collections. At last, after twenty years' 

 agitation, a building began to arise in the Cromwell Road, which, if 

 not all that one can desire, is at least a "palace of Aladdin'' when 

 compared with the " cramped, cabined, and confined" quarters in 

 the ole! building at bloomsbury. 



As Lord Kelvin said, in his speech on the 21st January, "if we 

 owe nothing more to Prof. Owen than the gaining for the nation 

 from its Parliament of such a building for the accommodation of its 

 treasures of Natural History, we may say that he has deserved well 

 of his country, and is entitled to a public memorial." 



To tell of Owen's long career, of the honours conferred upon 

 him, at home and abroad, would occupy too much space in this 

 journal. He retired from public life in 1S83, three years from the 

 time of the completion of his new Museum. The Queen conferred 

 upon him the honourable distinction of " Knight Companion of the 

 Bath," but " Professor Owen " will always remain his best-known 

 title. He died on the iSth December, 1S92, and was buried at 

 Ham, near Richmond, beside his beloved wife. 



