104 THE NATURALIST OF THE ST. CROIX 



appraised by expert scientists as to its commercial cash 

 value and in accordance with Mr. Boardman's own wish 

 one half the amount was discounted by which he gave 

 the Province several thousand dollars. 



At the time this document was drawn and signed Mr. 

 Boardman was not at all well. From that date he was 

 almost daily visited by his regular physician, Dr. W. T. 

 Black and frequent entries in the diary made the record : 

 "Had a bad day;" "had a bad night did not sleep 

 well," etc. By the terms of the sale the collection was 

 liable to be immediately removed, but as Mr. Boardman 

 rapidly grew worse, Mr. Todd, who was the agent of the 

 Provincial government in charge of its transportation, 

 wisely postponed doing so. It was very satisfactory and 

 comforting to Mr. Boardman to know that his loved col- 

 lection was not to be removed during his life and that 

 finally it was to go to a government which would house 

 it in a splendid manner, that it was to have appropriate 

 care and always be open to the public and to the free 

 use of scientific students. 



The preliminary contract for the transfer of the col- 

 lection, dated December 8, 1900, was ratified by the Pro- 

 vincial Parliament by an act passed April 3, 1901. This 

 act is Chapter XX of First Edward VII, and is as follows : 



An Act relating to the Boardman Collection of Birds and Animals. 



Sec. Sec. 



1. Preamble setting out contract. Gov- 2. Duplicates may be placed in Im- 

 emor in Council authorized to perial Institute in London ; pro- 

 make payments as provided by vision for preserving collection, 

 contract out of current revenues. Passed 3d April, 1901. 



Whereas by memorandum of agreement made on the eighth 

 day of December, A. D. 1900, between George A. Boardman of 

 Calais, in the State of Maine, of the first part, and Her Majesty 

 the Queen, represented therein by the Honorable the Surveyor- 

 General, of the second part, it was witnessed that the said 



