58 



HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



There had been in Feb. 1841, a department established, embracing the collections of 

 Crustacea and Radiata, andpr. Amos Binney, Jr., had had charge of it for several 

 months, when it appears to have been discontinued. Other changes at the election were 



as follows : 



Mr. Charles Stodder succeeded Mr. Chas. C. Sheafe as Cabinet keeper. Mr. Charles J. 

 Sprague was chosen Curator of Botany in place of Mr. Jas. E. Teschemacher, and Dr. 

 Silas Durkee, who had been the previous July elected Curator of Ichthyology in room of 

 Mr. W. 0. Ayres, was rechosen for this position. 



At a meeting of the Council in November of this year, Dr. Storer, as a Sub-committee of 

 the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, chosen to aid Dr. C. E. Brown-Sequard in his 

 arrangements for delivering a course of lectures on Physiology, submitted a proposition 

 that the Society be advised to allow the use of the library room for such lectures. He 

 spoke of the high scientific character of Dr. Brown-Sequard and hoped that favorable action 

 might be taken upon the proposition. Dr. Storer mentioned that the lectures would be il- 

 lustrated by vivisections, and that these being very repugnant to his feelings he could not 

 witness them, but yet on account of the addition to human knowledge which might result, 

 he should favor the proposed action of the Council. Strong opposition was manifested by 

 a number of the members of the Council, particularly Dr. Kneeland, Mr. Bouve, Mr. Dill- 

 away and Dr. Abbot. The subject was finally disposed of by a vote declining to lay the 

 matter before the Society, on the ground that there was a restriction in the deed of 

 their estate forbidding the use of their building for anatomical purposes. 



1853. In February of this year the Society took action in favor of the prosecution of 

 a geological survey of Oregon and Nebraska, by passing strong resolutions and transmit- 

 ting them to Congress, recommending the necessary appropriations. 



At the annual meeting the Curator of Botany reported great improvement in the collec- 

 tion during the year. The previous May only a small proportion of the specimens had 

 been systematically arranged. Large bundles of plants from France, Italy, the Vosges 

 mountains, the Cape of Good Hope, Florida and Kentucky, were in the same condition 

 as when received. These had all been examined and provided with sheets of paper 

 during the year. 



There had also been valuable donations, one from the Historical Society, of a large num- 

 ber of plants procured many years ago by the Hon. Thos. H. Perkins. A package of New 

 England plants collected by the late William Oakes, particularly rich in White Mountain 

 specimens, had been purchased by the Society. The Curator had obtained over a hundred 

 specimens of plants growing in the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, through the kindness of 

 Prof. Gray, many of them being new and unpublished species from Texas and New Mex- 

 ico. The entire Herbarium had been revised and sheets provided for all the plants. The 

 genera had been placed in manilla paper and arranged upon the shelves according to End- 

 licher's Genera Plantarum. The Herbarium contained representatives of 1300 genera and 

 five or six thousand species. The Curator remarked that not being able himself to collect 

 specimens away from the immediate neighborhood, he would be glad to receive the assist- 

 ance of those who could, particularly in obtaining New England species. 



The report of the Curator of Botany was noticeable as showing an immense amount of 



