﻿ANNUAL KEPOET. 



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rious foreign specimens presented by Mr. Hamilton, F.G.S., the 

 Hon. Mr. Marsham, E.G.S., Mr. Purdon, F.G.S., and the Rev. S. 

 Hislop. 



Besides the above, a suite of Norwegian rocks and minerals, a do- 

 nation from His Excellency Count Platen, and a large collection of 

 fossils from Bordeaux (named by M. Deshayes), presented by Sir 

 Charles Lyell, deserve particular mention. 



A new cabinet has been supplied for the use of the Upper Museum, 

 as recommended by the Special Museum Committee. 



Grounding their views on an elaborate and valuable catalogue 

 prepared by Mr. Horner, of all the contributions from all countries, 

 the Special Museum Committee, at their Meeting on the 25th of June 

 last, resolved that the arrangement to be adopted shall be geogra- 

 phical, subordinate to which the fossiliferous specimens shall be in 

 stratigraphical order, and that the non-fossiliferous and eruptive 

 rock-specimens belonging to each geographical subdivision shall 

 follow the fossiliferous specimens. The Committee think it their 

 duty, in referring to this subject, to call especial attention to the 

 continuous labour and great zeal of the President, who, in superin- 

 tending the re-arrangement, has given his constant personal attend- 

 ance to the details of the business, and during the past year has 

 spent several hours of stated days in every week in actual work in the 

 Museum. 



A thorough re-ordering upon the above plan has involved a mul- 

 tiplicity of details in the transfer from one cabinet to another, in the 

 rejection of useless specimens, in cleaning and labelling specimens and 

 drawers ; notwithstanding which, under the almost daily superin- 

 tendence of the President, much has been accomplished in the ar- 

 rangement of the European collections. 



These now occupy no less than 48 cabinets, containing 336 

 drawers ; and of their contents a very valuable and detailed cata- 

 logue has also been formed by Mr. Horner. They comprise — 



1st. The geographical arrangement of the countries of Europe, 



with subdivisions in some — as Erance and Germany. 

 2nd. Under the head of each country, an account of the several 

 groups of specimens belonging to it, with the names of 

 the donors. 



3rd. As the object of a geologist in examining'our foreign col- 

 lections may often have reference to a comparison of the 

 rocks or fossils of different districts, columns have been 

 prepared for references to facilitate such comparisons. 

 Mr. Horner's catalogues are so constructed that future contribu- 

 tions can be at once added under their proper heads. It is to be 

 hoped that similar catalogues will accompany our collections from the 

 grand divisions of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and 

 Australia. But the chief part, not only of the European, but also of 

 other collections, excepting some portion named by Mr. Horner, re- 

 quire naming, and are on that account defective, both rock-speci- 

 mens and fossils; and to this important subject the attention of the 

 Society is invited, in the hope that some others among the Eellows, 



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