October 8th, 1889. 



The Winter Session was opened at the Lecture Hall of the 

 Museum. The weather was very tempestuous so that there were 

 only nineteen present, six of whom were ladies. 



On the table were collections of autumn fruits and a few flowers, 

 which were described by Mr. Walton. The most interesting was a 

 collection of fruits of some Oratoegi, brought by Mr. Billinghurst. 



In the absence of the President, who had been called away to 

 Tunbridge Wells, but had forwarded a lecture, the chair was taken 

 by Dr. T. Eastes, V.P., and the Secretary read the paper, which 

 treated chiefly of museums and their management, and of mimicry. 

 It was as follows : — 



The commencement of the winter session in these, onr new 

 premises, ought to inaugurate a fresh era in the existence of the 

 Folkestone Natural History Society, and infuse new life into our 

 veteran association. " Those should work who never worked 

 before, and those who worked before should work the more." Yes, 

 work ; that is what our Society asks of its members. We want 

 more papers read, more specimens exhibited. When any of you 

 meet with a rare plant, flower, shell, or insect, you should possess 

 yourself of it, and exhibit it at our next meeting. 



Or you may be fortunate enough to secure some specimen worthy 

 of a place in our museum. I cordially agree with the words of the 

 President of the Museum Curators, Mr. Blanford, in his annual 

 report that the most important object of a provincial museum 

 should be to illustrate the natural history, antiquities, and produc- 

 tions of the place and its immediate neighbourhood. 



I was much struck the other day, when reading Professor 

 Flower's admirable address at the British Association, with his 

 account of the earliest collections in connection with natural science, 

 and also with his excellent suggestions for the arrangement of the 

 specimens m museums. He affirms that it was with the revival of 

 learning in the middle ages that the collecting instinct came into 

 existence, and that for some time the earliest collections were 

 formed and maintained at the expense of private individuals. 



In England the two earliest collectors of miscellaneous objects 

 were the two John Tradescants, father and son, the latter of whom 

 published in 1656 a little work called " Musaeum Trade scan tianum." 

 The wonderful variety and incongruous grouping of the various 

 objects in this collection make a most amusing catalogue. The 

 account of this earliest collection is of interest to all lovers of 

 natural science, inasmuch as it shews the marvellous advance 

 scientific research has. made m the two last centuries. 



Professor Flower points out that the objects of a museum should, 

 be two-fold ; one being to increase the knowledge of some given 



