Anniversary meeting of the Linnean Society. 315 , 
all; and unless the Society receives that extensive support which 
can only be expected from the State, stowage, neglect, and de- 
struction must ensue. It is no doubt considerations such as these 
that have induced the Smithsonian Institution to repudiate the 
burthen attempted to be imposed on them of a National Museum 
which even the whole of their income would be insufficient to 
maintai 
Ni aie aa 
Oe eT 
intain. 
There is another class of museums which the Smithsonian 
lnstitution appears to be promoting and assisting, with what re- 
sults I have not sufficient means of judging; these are local 
useums on a smaller scale in the smaller cities and provincial 
towns. We have many such in Europe, both on the Continent 
and in our own country, and if judiciously formed and ade- 
quately maintained, ought to be very useful in encouraging the 
‘aste for observation at home, and giving the scientific visitor 
from a distance authentic information on the natural history of 
the district. But too many of them depend on the fluctuating 
Support of voluntary contributions, and follow the fate of mu- 
Seums of societies. I have had occasion to go over many of 
these local museums in various parts of the Continent and some 
of our own, and it had been my intention to have collected infor- 
mation, and in one of my addresses to have prefaced some gen- 
*ral observations on the subject, with a detailed review of all 
our provincial Natural History museums and Associations; but 
r a 
Public interest in the establishment, such specimens be unhesi- 
_ Stingly expelled as soon as the cause for retaining them is gone. 
In conclusion, I may perhaps be excused in alluding to some 
