244 REPORT FoR 1876 oF THE HERBARIUM AT KEW. 
of the present house. The whole of the latter will be preserved, ex- 
cept the drawing-room, a single apartment that was added on to its 
hall, which is 86 feet long by 40 feet broad, and contains two galleries 
10 feet broad running round it. The galleries will communicate 
with each other and with the ground floor by two circular iron stair- 
eases placed one at each end of the building. On each floor there 
will be an entrance from the old building, closed by Bouin: iron fire- 
proof doors. The long sides of we oe ilding Hh be ey ted with 
forty-eight windows, eig oor ach The 
cabinets for holding the specimens w will be arra ee in Hosts 8 feet 
high, of two tiers projecting like buttresses between the windows 
is Ghar Thing will be heated with hot water pipes. Water- 
mains charged at high pressure sufficient to throw a jet more than the 
height of the whole building will be carried to each floor. When com- 
plete the old building will be cleared out, as much as possible of its 
combustible fittings and woodwork removed, and the rooms arrang 
for the better accommodation of the library and of persons, besides 
the staff, engaged in the study of the collections. 
ery extensive collections and contributions gate been received 
at the Herbarium (chi fly by ate during the past 
In accordance with the will of the late J. j. kes F.RS., 
Fli 
the British Museum (which retains the first gn the Herbarium P 
the Royal Gardens, and that of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The 
first instalment of this valuable collection has been received, and com- 
baler Bs nearly 900 s ecies, 
oy considera able and important accessions continue to be derived 
herbarium formed by Baron von Mueller, in Victoria, which 
is cranenitted to the Royal Gardens in furtherance of the ‘Flora 
ustraliensis,” with the permission to retain duplicates. There is 
certainly no part of the world of equal extent and ing as much 
of i interest as Anstralia, which has through the almost unaided exer- 
