248 



NA TURE 



[July 14, 1898 



the public. Under it the collections have been so administered 

 as to serve the needs of national education and of scientific 

 research in a very efficient manner. 



It may be pointed out that the interests presided over by the 

 principal Librarian are totally different from those under the 

 charge of the Director of the Natural History Museum, and 

 that the same man cannot be expected to understand or to repre- 

 sent adequately the needs of two departments so complex and 

 so distinct from one another. The progress which has been 

 made in the Natural History Museum under its present organis- 

 ation, especially in regard to its development as an instrument 

 of public instruction and enjoyment, would have been difficult 

 under the old system, in which the Head of the Natural History 

 Collections had not a position of independence and freedom. 

 In this connection it is important to remember that the support 

 given to the institution by Parliament must be largely dependent 

 upon public sympathy and approval. Further, it must not be 

 forgotten that while the Natural History Museum has been 

 developed as a place of public interest it has increased its repu- 

 tation as an institution of first-rate scientific importance in 

 Europe, both by the magnitude and organisation of its collec- 

 tions, and by the researches carried on by the staff within its 

 walls. 



This statement has already been signed by — 



Dr. G.J. Allman, F.R.S. 

 Dr. J. E. T. Aitchison, F.R.S. 

 Dr. John Anderson, F.R.S. 

 Lieut. -Col. H. H. Godwin 



Austen, F.R.S. 

 II. H. Armstead, R.A. 

 Sir Benjamin Baker, K. C. M. G ., 



F.R.S. 

 Prof. J. Bay ley Balfour, F.R S. 

 Prof. Sir Robert Ball, F.R.S. 

 The Rev. S. A. Barnett. 

 Right Hon. Lord Battersea. 

 Prof. Lionel Beale, M.B., 



F.R.S. 



F. E. Beddard, F.R.S. 

 The Duke of Bedford, 



The Rev. G. C. Bell, Master 

 of Marlborough College. 



Sir Walter Besant. 



Dr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S. 



Edward Bond, M. P., late 

 Chairman of the Technical 

 Education Board, L.C.C. 



Prof, T. W, Bridge. 



T, Brock, R.A. 



Dr. Horace T. Brown, F.R.S. 



Sir James Crichton Browne, 

 M.D., F.R.S. 



Dr. T, Lauder Brunton,F.R S. 



G. B. Eickton, F.R.S. 



R. Brudenell Carter, F.R.C.S. 

 Prof. W. Watson Cheyne, 



F.R.S. 

 Dr. W. J. Collins. 

 Prof. JohnCleland, F.R.S. 

 Sir John Conroy, Bart., F.R.S. 

 Sir Martin Conway. 

 Prof.D. J. Cunningham, F.R.S. 

 Sir William Crookes, F.R.S. 

 Prof. W.Boyd Dawkins.F.R.S. 

 Prof James Dewar, F.R.S. 

 F, V. Dickins, Registrar of 



London University. 

 H. E. Dresser, Author of 



" The Birds of Europe." 

 Prof. J. C. Ewart, F,R.S. 

 Dr. Robert Farquharson, M.P. 

 Prof. J. B. Farmer. 

 Sir Joseph Fayrer, M.D., 



F.R.S. 

 Michael Foster, M.D., Sec. 



R S 

 Sir E. Frankland, K.C.B., 



Foreign Secretary R.S. 



Right Hon, Sir Edward Fry, 



F.R.S. 

 A. B. Freeman- Mitford, C.B. 

 E. Onslow Ford, R.A. 

 Prof A. R. Forsyth, F.R.S. 

 Francis Galton, F.R.S. 

 Sir Douglas Galton, K.C.B., 



F.R.S. 

 Sir Alfred B. Garrod, M.D., 



F.R.S. 

 Prof. Francis Gotch. 

 H. Rider Haggard. 

 Prof. W. D. Halliburton, 



S. F. Harmer, F.R.S. 

 Prof.W. A. Herdman, F.R.S. 

 Prof. S. J. Hickson, F.R.S. 

 M. D. Hill, Science Master, 



Eton College. 

 Sir Joseph D. Hooker, 



G.C.S.L, F.R.S. 

 Prof. G. B. Howes, F.R.S. 

 Dr. E. Hull, F.R.S. 

 Right Hon. Lord Kelvin, 



G.C.V.O., F.R.S. 

 Prof. W. P. Ker. 

 Sir John Kirk, G.CM.G., 



K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 O. H. Latter, Science Master, 



Charterhouse School. 

 Prof G. D. Liveing, F.R.S. 

 Sir Norman Lockyer, K.C.B., 



F.R.S. 

 Sir Leonard Lyell, Bart., M,P. 

 Prof. A. Macalister, F.R.S. 

 Sir W. MacCormac, Bart, 



Pres. R.C.S. 

 Dr. Maxwell T, Masters, 



F.R.S. 

 The Right Hon Sir Herbert 



Maxwell, Bart,, M.P., 



Prof. W." C. Mcintosh, F.R.S. 

 Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S. 

 Prof. L. C. Miall, F.R.S. 

 P. C. Mitchell, Lecturer on 



Biology, London Hospital, 

 Dr. St. (}eorge Mivart, F.R.S. 

 Prof. C. Lloyd Morgan. 

 Sir John Murray, K.C.B., 



F.RS. 

 J. T. Nettleship. 

 Captain Sir A. Noble, K. C. B. , 



F.R.S. 



NO, 1498, VOL, 58] 



Dr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. 



The Right Hon. Earl Stan- 

 hope. 



Sir Herbert Stephen, Bart. 



Marcus Stone, R.A. 



Prof. Sir George Stokes, Bart., 

 F.R.S. 



Lieut. -General Sir Richard 

 Strachey, G.C.S.L, F.R.S. 



J. W. Swan, F.R.S. 



J. J. H. Teall, F.R.S. 



Sir Richard Temple, Bart., 

 G.C.S.L, F.R.S. 



Sir Henry Thompson, 

 F.R.C.S., M.B. 



Sir Richard Thorne Thome, 

 K.C.B., F.RS. 



Hamo Thornycroft, R.A. 



Dr. T. E. Thorpe, F.R.S. 



Everard F. im Thurn, C.M.G, 



Prof. J. W. H. Trail, M.D., 

 F.R.S. 



The Rev. Canon H. B, Trist- 

 ram, F.R.S. 



Prof Sir William Turner, 



Prof. S. H. Vines, F.R.S. 



Prof C. Waldstein. 



Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, 



Prof. H. Marshall Ward, 

 F.R.S. 



Prof. R. Warington, F.R.S. 



Prof F. E. Weiss. 



Prof. W. F. R. Weldon, 

 F.R.S. 



Prof. T. Westlake, Q.C. 



Edward Whymper. 



Sir John Williams, Bart., 

 M.D. 



Sir H. Trueman Wood, Sec- 

 retary of the Society of Arts. 



At a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Trustees 

 of the British Museum, held on the 9th inst., the follow- 

 ing letter was directed to be sent to Sir William Flower, 

 It is signed by the Chairman of the meeting, Lord Dillon. 



^^ British Museum, July 9, 1898. 



" Dear Sir William Flower,— With profound regret the 

 Trustees accept the resignation of the Directorship of the 

 Natural History Museum which, owing to failure of health, 

 you have been unhappily compelled to submit to them. They 

 had hoped that the remaining term of years which you might 

 have spent in their service would have enabled you to perfect 

 the arrangement of the collections so admirably planned and so 

 systematically developed by you during your fourteen years of 

 office, and they cannot but regard your retirement at this 

 moment as a real misfortune to the Museum. 



"They wish to record their high appreciation of your 

 services. 



"The rare combination of wide scientific knowledge with 

 marked administrative ability and a sympathetic appreciation 

 of the requirements of the uninstructed public has carried you 

 through a most difficult task. Under your hands the Natural 

 History collections of the British Museum have fallen into the 

 lines of an orderly and instructive arrangement which no one, 

 whether man of science or ordinary visitor, can examine without 

 admiration. 



" To you, as a worthy successor of Sir Richard Owen, will 

 attach the honour of having organised a Museum of Natural 

 History which now occupies a pre-eminent position among all 

 the Museums of the civilised world. 



' ' For these devoted services the Trustees thank you. In 

 your retirement you carry with you their lasting gratitude and 

 their sincere good wishes. 



" Believe me. Dear Sir William Flower, 



' ' Yours very truly, 

 (Signed) "Dillon," 



The Rev. Canon A, M. 



Norman, F.R.S. 

 Prof.W. Odling, F.R.S. 

 H, F, Pelham, M.A., Cam- 

 den Professor of History, 



and President of Trinity 



College, Oxford. 

 Prof W. M. Flinders Petrie. 

 Prof. G. V. Poore. 

 Prof Sir F. Pollock, Bart. 

 T. C. Porter, Senior Science 



Master, Eton College. 

 Prof E. B. Poulton, F.R.S. 

 Sir William O. Priestley, 



M.D., M.P, 

 M. R. Pryor. 



Dr. P. II. Pye-Smith, F.R.S. 

 The Right Hon. Lord Reay, 



G.C.S.L 

 Sir W. Richmond, K.C.B., 



R.A. 

 The Most Hon. the Marquis 



of Ripon, K,G., F.R.S. 

 Dr. Briton Riviere, R.A, 

 Prof W. C. Roberts-Austen, 



C.B., F.R.S. 

 Sir William Roberts, M.D., 



F.R.S. 

 Sir Henry Roscoe, F.R.S. 

 The Hon. Walter Rothschild. 

 Prof. A. W. Riicker, Sec. R.S. 

 Right Hon. Sir B. Samuelson, 



Bart., M.P., F.R.S. 

 Dr. Dukinfield H. Scott, 



R. H. Scott, F.R.S. 

 A. Sedgwick, F.R.S. 

 Prof. C. S. Sherrington, 



F.R.S. 

 A. E. Shipley. 

 Sir John Simon, K.C.B., 



F.R.S. 



