IV ANNIVEESARY MEETING. 



Series has been completed) ; and Mr. Etheridge has promised to 

 undertake that of the Oolitic Series, which occupies 154 drawers. 

 Without doubt, this and other voluntary aid which may be expected 

 from many of our Members will do much towards the renovation of 

 our Museum, — or rather, the establishment of a Museum such as it 

 ought to be ; but a perusal of a primary Catalogue of the Foreign 

 Collection, drawn up by Mr. Horner, and the observation of the 

 numerous undescribed specimens from all quarters of the world 

 which it records, impress on your Committee the conviction that 

 something more is required — nay, is absolutely indispensable. 



The attention of Mr. Jones is every day more and more absorbed 

 by the preparation for publication of the Journal, — a work on the 

 character of which the reputation of the Society so much depends ; 

 and, although he has doubtless received much assistance from Mr. 

 H. M. Jenkins, engaged in March 1859, and of whose assiduity and 

 useful exertions he reports most favourably, it is evident that it was 

 more in his character of Librarian than in that of Curator that he has 

 principally benefited by Mr. Jenkins' assistance. Your Committee 

 therefore fully concur with the Special Committee in recommending 

 that a second temporary assistant should be appointed at a salary of 

 15s. per week. Such assistance, by relieving Mr. Jones and those 

 Members who have so kindly assisted in the work of re-arranging 

 the Museum from much manual or mere mechanical labour, will, it 

 is hoped, accelerate the time when, the collection being weeded of all 

 superfluous specimens, it will be possible to adopt and carry through 

 a sound philosophical principle of arrangement. It is for your Special 

 Committee to devise and mature the system of arrangement which to 

 them appears the best fitted for securing this great object ; and it is 

 only for your present Committee to state that they fully concur in 

 what that Committee has hitherto proposed ; namely, that, at least 

 in the first instance, the stratigraphical shall be subordinate to the 

 geographical arrangement, as by this means the true succession of life 

 in various regions will be more faithfully exhibited, and the correlation 

 of one with another be facilitated. 



Tour Committee also consider that the Special Committee has acted 

 most wisely in concentrating their attention principally on the Foreign 

 Collection, as it is known to us all that for British geology the Museum 

 in Jermyn Street affords every facility for reference ; whereas the 

 Museum of the Geological Society, when once placed in proper order, 

 will be invaluable to those who desire to become acquainted with the 

 details of foreign geology. 



Your Committee trust that they have said enough to prove that 

 active exertions are now being made, and in the right direction, 

 to render the treasures in the Museum really available for the ad- 

 vancement of geological knowledge. 



Library. 



The necessary re-distribution of books on the shelves referred to in 

 the last Report has been duly attended to, and completed ; the new 



