57 



islands of ^hich the history, both natural and political^ 

 will ever be intimately associated with his name. He was 

 chosen for the office of President, but his death, on the 

 4th of July, 1826, deprived the Society, while yet in its 

 infancy, of his valuable ser\dces even some years before it 

 acquired its Charter of Incorporation. In this deed, dated 

 March 27th, 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 January 1st, 1829) 

 contains the names of 1294 ordinary Fellows and 40 hono- 

 rary and corresponding Members. The list is an interest- 

 ing 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 Regent^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 ^dsitors, and this number 

 was increased in 1831 to 262,193. 



While the menagerie of living animals was being formed 

 in the Kegent's Park, the Officers and Fellows of the 

 Society were also engaged in establishing a Museum of 

 preserved specimens, which soon assumed very consider- 

 able 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 of 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 

 in 1836 in Leicester Square, the same which were formerly 

 occupied by the Museum of John Hunter before its removal 

 to the College of Surgeons. At this time the Museum is 



