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rooms by His Majesty's Government, caused the Museum to be en- 

 tirely dismantled during the last summer; so that the Curator was 

 prevented from introducing into the collection the specimens pre- 

 sented since the last Anniversary. The Committee therefore can only 

 call the attention of the Council to the increased space gained by the 

 grant of the rooms lately obtained from the Government. 



The Lower Museum has been enlarged by adding to it the room 

 formerly appropriated, in part, to the Library, and by the removal 

 to the new library of the collection of recent shells. By a more 

 condensed arrangement of these shells, as also of the simple mine- 

 rals, about eighty drawers have been emptied, and prepared for the 

 accommodation of new specimens, of which they are capable of hold- 

 ing from 2000 to 2500. Nearly all this space will be required for 

 the collections presented during the last eighteen months. Additional 

 room, however, will be gained during the ensuing summer by dimi- 

 nishing the size of the tablets to which the collections of fossils in 

 the English series are attached, the space hitherto allowed to each 

 specimen being far greater than is necessary. By this arrange- 

 ment the present cabinets may be made to contain about one fourth 

 more fossils, and there is space in the Museum for additional Cabi- 

 nets when they may be wanted. 



The following are among the principal donations made during the 

 last year to the English Collections : 



1st. Suite of rocks and fossils from Herefordshire, Shropshire, 

 and parts of Wales; from R. I. Murchison, Esq. V.P.G.S. 



These specimens extend the series formerlj'^ presented by the 

 same donor, and are important as supplying one of the principal de- 

 ficiencies in the English Collection. 



2nd. Bones and shells from the gravel and loam of Cropthorne . 

 near Evesham, Worcestershire; from Hugh Edwin Strickland, Esq. 

 F.G.S. 



Upper or Foreign Museum. — This room has been increased in 

 size by throwing into it a large closet, formerly a store-room; and 

 by the removal of the books formerly kept in it space is gained for 

 the accommodation of eighty-six drawers, which would hold about 

 2000 specimens. The principal donations made to the Collection 

 are — Specimens from the Eifel, presented by Leonard Horner, Esq.; 

 Remains of the Anthracotherium Velaunum, Myoxus, and Crocodile 

 from Puy en Velay, presented by Mons. Bertrand de Doue, For. 

 Mem, G.S.; Tertiary Shells from the United States, presented by 

 Henry D. Rogers, Esq. F.G.S., and T. A. Conrad, Esq. 



Library. — The Books, with the exception of a small proportion, 

 for which additional shelves must be provided, have been removed 

 from the former library to one of the apartments lately obtained 

 from His Majesty's Government. In this apartment the cabinets of 

 simple minerals and recent shells have been placed. 



The donations to the Library during the last year have equalled 

 those of former years ; and the Society continues to receive from 

 the Board of Ordnance the maps of the English Trigonometrical 

 Survey, and of the Townland Survey of Ireland. The East India 



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