86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



being of interest. I also can add that I have acquired a " Second 

 Edition ", published in 1838, which has a little more technical 

 matter added, the intelligence of the children having apparently- 

 been thouglit capable of comprehending still more difficult items. 

 " The Conchologist's Companion," by Mary Roberts, was published in 

 1834, with a Baxter type frontispiece, but I have not hitherto heard 

 of an edition in 1832. 



Da Costa. 



In these Proceedings, Vol. XI, p. 307, 1915, I published a note 

 entitled " On Humphrey's Conchology ", wherein I gave some details 

 of a scrap of a " Conchology " which had been credited to 

 '■' Humphrey " or to " Da Costa " or to both, and concluded that 

 I leaned to the authorship by Da Costa. 



In the Scientific Monthly for January, 1922, pp. 67-82, our member 

 Professor J. D. A. Cockerell has published a delightful account of 

 " Dru Drury, an Eighteenth Century Entomologist ", reprinting 

 correspondence of great interest. Since the article is not likely to 

 be seen by many malacologists, I have ventured to transcribe a note 

 regarding Da Costa which seems to explain some of the mystery 

 regarding the above publication. It is unfortunate that this 

 information is of a scandalous nature, but I think its importance 

 will suffice for apology. 



Writing to Dr. Pallas on 12th November, 1767, Drury stated : 

 " Another piece of news I must inform you of is M. Da Costa is going 

 to publish plates of nondescript aninmls — shells, insects, etc., in 

 periodical numbers, five plates, with their descriptions being a com- 

 plete number." Later, again writing to Dr. Pallas under date 

 28th February, 1768, Drury commented : " I sincerely lament 

 with you ye fall of ye Aurelian Society, there wanted but two or 

 three good members to have made it become respectable, but 

 Da Costa's temper and principle was sufficient to overturn a Kingdom. 

 I imagine ere this you have heard of his Fate. If not, I will tell you. 

 He is no longer Librarian to ye Eoyal Society. He is (iismissed 

 from thence with ignominy and disgrace. (Here Drury gives 

 details.) Hence ye periodical work he intended to publish, which 

 I mentioned in my last, is entirely stopt ; the circumstance I must 

 own I am very sorry for on account of Natural History in general. 

 But if it can not be promoted by men of better principles than him 

 it is better perhaps for it to lye dormant." 



However, on 14th January, 1770, when writing to Dr. Pallas, 

 Drury added : " I mentioned in one of my letter's Da Costa's affair. 

 He is now confined in ye King's Bench Prison at ye instance of 

 Royal Society, and has been there near a year, from whence, I 

 imagine, he will never return. He is at present engaged in writing 

 a history of shells which he hopes will make its appearance this 



