PHYSICAS E NATURAES i87 



6. The executors to be secured against the legal responsibilities 

 Ihey are under to tlie different parties who benefit by the will. 



7. Ali expenses incurred in defending the will must be paid by 

 the Portuguese Government. 



According to these terms the sludy set would be Portuguese pro- 

 perty, but it would remain in London, and its use for the intended pu- 

 blications would be rcgulated by the executors of the will, the action of 

 the Portuguese Government being confined to the payment of lhe work 

 to be done as well as of the executors' costs. Such a cooperation or a 

 more real one had been obtained from the Kew Museum without any 

 pecuniary demand, and without having the colleclions kept out of the 

 hands of the Portuguese commissioner, Dr. Welwitsch, for more than 

 the time necessary for the revision of the specimens. The conditions 

 of a final and probably distant, if real, delivery of them seemed in- 

 acceptable, and some even offensive to the dignity of the Government 

 and they were therefore rejected. There was however nothing in this 

 rejection which might affect our good opinion of the proposed coope- 

 ration of Mr. Hiern in the study and classification of the objects of the 

 Angola collections. í was the first to point out the convenience of the 

 cooperation of a gentleman whose science and character we had every 

 motive to respect, and I feel indebted to bear him this testimony as he 

 distinctly and very properly declined responsibihties in the execution 

 of the will, nolwithstanding he had been appointed one of the executors; 

 and as we owed him a first contribution for lhe study of the Angola plants, 

 by the revision he made of the Ebenaceae in the excellent monography 

 he published on this order of plants, and of which he kindly offered 

 us a copy. This suggested cooperation of Mr. Hiern implied however 

 in no way the rejection of ali that might be obtained from other not 

 less distinguished botanists, who had already rendered us mosl valua- 

 ble Services in that revision and study, and who kindly offered to con- 

 tinue them. This proposed scientific monopoly might perhaps satisfy 

 some high sense of rivalry, but in no way the interests and dignity of 

 the Government; therefore it was found inacceptable. 



The terms on which we offered to agree were the following. 



1. That the right of the Portuguese Government to the collections 

 be recognised or accepted, these collections being the fruits of the explo- 

 raiion commanded by the Government and executed with the money 

 of the nalion. 



2. It will be declared that the Portuguese Government in the pos- 

 session of the above mentioned collection reserve to itself the prin- 



