358 EEPORT— 1891. 



his Majesty tbe late King of the Hawaiian Islands, stating his belief 

 that additional fnnds would be forthcoming if a circular were drawn np 

 explaining the objects of the Committee, and he offered to make such a 

 circular known to those inhabitants who would be likely to co-operate, 

 provided that a portion of the collections obtained should be ultimately 

 placed in the Museum at Honolulu. As tbe rules of the British Associa- 

 tion prohibit, however, this committee from issuing such a circular with- 

 out the sanction of the General Committee, all operations have had to be 

 stayed, and the grant of 100?. made to tbe Committee has not been drawn. 



Meanwhile a committee has been appointed by the Royal Society, 

 and 200Z. from the Government grant placed at its disposal, for the same 

 purpose as this committee, power being given to tbe former to act in 

 concert with the latter, as was done with much advantage in the case of 

 the West Indian Exploration Committee. 



The Committee respectfully beg leave to recommend their reappoint- 

 ment, with power to act in concert with the coiiimittee appointed by the 

 Royal Society, and to avail themselvesof the belpproflered by the Hawaiian 

 Government on the terms above mentioned ; and as the estimated cost of 

 employing a proper zoological collector in the islands for about two 

 years will amount to not less than 600Z., your committee solicit a grant 

 of 200?. 



Fifth Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Foster, 

 Professor Bayley Balfour, Mr. Thiselton-Dyer, Dr. Trimen, 

 Professor Marshall Ward, Mr. Carruthees, Professor Hartog, 

 Mr. Walter Gardiner, and Professor Bower {Secretary)^ 

 appointed for the purpose of takinrj steps for the establish- 

 inent of a Botanical Laboratory at Peradeniya, Ceylon. 



The Committee desire first to acknowledge the continued co-operation of 

 the Government of Ceylon, and of the Director of the Royal Gardens at 

 Peradeniya, in giving facilities for study in the Royal Garden, and in 

 assigning a room in the official Bungalow for use as a laboratory. 



During the greater part of the year this room has been occupied by 

 Mr. J. Bretland Farmer, of Magdalen College, Oxford, and at the date of 

 writing the report he has not yet returned ; it would therefore be prema- 

 ture as yet to ask him for a detailed account of his work. It may, 

 however, be stated tbat his attention has been specially devoted to the 

 study of the Bryopbyta, and that a thorough investigation of these plants 

 in a tropical country such as Ceylon may be expected to yield most 

 valuable results. 



The grant of 60?. voted at the last meeting has been for the most 

 part expended on apparatus, which will remain permanently in the 

 laboratory, the most important items being a photographic camera, a 

 balance specially constructed for a tropical climate, and a dissecting 

 microscope by Zeiss. 



The Committee hope before the next meeting to receive a detailed 

 report from Mr. Farmer, and also a list of apparatus now in tbe laboratory 

 from Dr. Ti-imen. In the meanwhile, having full confidence in the value 

 of the results obtained, tbe Committee request that they be reappointed, 

 but do not at present ask for any farther grant of money. 



