xin FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY 173 



islands of which the history, both natural and political, will 

 ever be intimately associated with his name. He was chosen 

 for Jbhe office of President, but his death, on the 5th of July 

 1826, deprived the Society, while yet in its infancy, of his 

 valuable services even some years before it acquired its Charter 

 of Incorporation. In this deed, dated 2 7th March 1829, 

 Henry, Marquis of Lansdowne, is named as the first President 

 of the chartered Society, Joseph Sabine as the first Treasurer, 

 and Nicholas Aylward Vigors the first Secretary. 



The Society appears to have acquired great popularity in 

 a surprisingly short time. The first printed list of members 

 that I can discover (dated 1st January 1829) contains the 

 names of 1294 ordinary Fellows and 40 honorary and 

 corresponding members. The list is an interesting one, from 

 the number of names it includes of persons eminent either in 

 science, art, literature, politics, or social life ; indeed, there 

 were not many people of distinction in the country at that 

 time who are not to be found in it. 



A piece of ground in the Kegent's Park having been 

 obtained from the Government at little more than a nominal 

 rent, the Gardens were laid out, and opened in 1828, during 

 which year 98,605 visitors are recorded as having entered. 

 In the following (the first complete) year there were as many 

 as 189,913 visitors, and this number was increased in 1831 

 to 262,193. 



While the menagerie of living animals was being formed 

 in the Eegent's Park, the Officers and Fellows of the Society 

 were also engaged in establishing a museum of preserved 

 specimens, which soon assumed very considerable dimensions. 

 A catalogue printed as early as the year 1828 contains a 

 classified list of 450 specimens of Mammalia alone; and it 

 continued for many years to attract donations from travellers 

 and collectors in all parts of the world, and became of great 

 scientific importance, inasmuch as it contained very many 

 types of species described for the first time in the publications 

 of the Society. It was at first lodged in rooms in the society's 

 house in Bruton Street ; but these becoming so crowded 

 as to present the " confused air of a store rather than the 

 appearance of an arranged museum," premises were taken 



