104? Museum of Natural History at Paris. 



serve, that it is intended to retain for a time the most valuable 

 part of the collection, for exhibition in Europe, with a view 

 of raising funds for enabling the Association to pursue its 

 original object, by sending out other expeditions. Look- 

 ino- at the thing as a matter of pecuniary advantage to 

 the Association, we would strongly urge the committee to 

 reconsider the policy of the course which they propose to 

 adopt. Unless some particularly advantageous plan can be 

 devised, with reference to the manner in which the collection 

 is to be shown ; we doubt whether the sum raised by its ex- 

 hibition in England would amount to one tenth of the ex- 

 penses which must unavoidably be incurred in making the 

 necessary arrangements. 



[At a general meeting of the members of the Association, held March 

 19. 1836, immediately after the return of the expedition, it was resolved, 

 unanimously, — That the only adequate thanks which can be rendered to 

 Dr. Smith are, that he be requested to undertake the next expedition.] 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Short Communications. 



[A correspondent has put into our hands the following 

 translation of a passage which has just appeared in the second 

 volume of Raspail's work upon vegetable physiology (p. 624.).' 

 As the evidence laid before the parliamentary committee rela- 

 tive to the British Museum, has been published in the course of 

 the past month, in which allusions are repeatedly made to the 

 public Continental museums, the opinion entertained by a 

 French naturalist, with respect to the one at Paris, is certainly 

 deserving attention. — Ed^\ 



Museum of Natural History at Paris. — Here reform 

 should penetrate with its pitiless hammer ; for here long 

 established customs have become abuses scarcely sus- 

 ceptible of correction by other means. The Museum of 

 Natural History is a kind of oligarchical republic, inde- 

 pendent of the power which protects and supports without 

 controlling it. This republic is governed by irremovable 

 professors ; and the rank is in some measure hereditary, 

 since these professors constitute a self-electing body. Their 

 number is limited to ten, and they have the power of pro- 

 posing their own sons and sons-in-law. It is thus easy to 

 imagine that the museum may one day be ruled by a single 

 family of professors. This would undoubtedly be the result 

 if one professor should have only sons, and the rest daughters : 



