KEPOKT OF THE COUNCIL. Ivii 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



^ejport of the Council for the year 1879-80, presented to the General 

 Committee at Swansea, on Wednesday, August 25, 1880. 



The Council have received Repoi-ts dxiring the past year from the 

 General Treasurer, and his account for the year will be laid before the 

 Oeneral Committee this day. 



The Council having been requested by the General Committee at 

 Sheffield to take such further action as regards the correspondence with 

 the Treasury about the Natural History Collections as they should think 

 desirable in the interests of science, have prepared and sent to the 

 Secretary of the Treasury, in reply to his letter of July 22, 1879, the 

 following letter : — 



British Association for the Advancement of Science, 



22 Albemarle Street, London, W. 

 June 8, 1880. 



Sir, — The letter of the Council of this Association, of March 25, 1879, 

 respecting the administration of the Natural History Collections, and 

 your reply thereto of July 22, have been laid before the British Asso- 

 ciation, at the meeting held at Sheffield in August last, when the subject 

 was again referred to the Council. 



On the part of the Council I am now requested to inform you that 

 they learn with satisfaction that the action of Her Majesty's Government, 

 in passing the British Museum Act of 1878, does not prejudice the ques- 

 tion of the future administration of the Natural History Collections at 

 South Kensington, but that the subject is still under the consideration of 

 the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. 



Under these circumstances, the Council of the Association must again 

 -express their hope that, when the period arrives, as it must shortly do, 

 for the settlement of the question, the recommendations of the Royal 

 Commission on Science will have their full weight and importance 

 accorded to them. 



If, however, the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury are 

 prepared, as they would seem to indicate, to constitute a Special Standing 

 Committee, or Sub-Committee, of the Trustees of the British Museum, 

 for the management of the Natural History Collections, the Council of 

 the Association are of opinion that such a form of governinent, though 

 not the form suggested by the Royal Commission on Science, might 

 .possibly be so organised as to be satisfactory both to the public and to 

 -men of science. 



Trusting that the Lords Commissioners will do the Council the favour 



