X PEOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May 1 896, 



The question as to how far it is desirable for the Society to 

 maintain a Museum has, for a considerable time, been under the 

 earnest consideration of the Council, and it was felt that if the 

 Society decided that the maintenance of the collections in their 

 present condition was undesirable, the British Museum (Natural 

 History) would probably be the most satisfactory receptacle for 

 them. The Council have accordingly been in communication with 

 the Trustees of the British Museum, and find that they would be 

 willing to receive such portions of the collections as the Society 

 may wish to transfer to them on the following conditions : — The 

 specimens which are types and those which illustrate papers read 

 before the Society are to be preserved and maintained apart, and the 

 Trustees will reimburse the Society for the expenses in connexion 

 with the transference up to a sum not exceeding .£300. 



The provisional assent of the Trustees of the British Museum to 

 these conditions was formally given at their meeting of January 25th, 

 1896 ; and as the ultimate decision regarding the proposed trans- 

 ference must rest with the general body of Fellows, the subject will 

 no doubt be brought forward at a Special General Meeting at an 

 early date. 



Meanwhile, a short summary of the steps taken in connexion 

 with the Museum may here be brought to the notice of the 

 Fellows. 



On April 22nd, 1891, the attention of the Council having been 

 drawn by the Rev. J. F. Blake to the unsatisfactory state of the 

 Society's Museum, as regards defective labelling, incomplete regis- 

 tration, bad conditions of location and preservation of specimens, 

 etc., a Special Committee was appointed to examine into the 

 question. On May 27th, that Committee finally reported to the effect 

 that it was desirable to select and register all specimens illustrating 

 the history of the Society (including type-specimens), and called 

 attention to collections of simple minerals, typical foreign rocks, 

 and recent shells, with a view to their possible removal. This 

 report was adopted by the Council the same day (May 27th, 1891), 

 and Mr. C. Davies Sherborn, F.G.S., was afterwards requested to 

 undertake the work of registration of important specimens thus 

 selected. This task Mr. Sherborn proceeded with as rapidly as the 

 state of his health would allow. He completed it, so far as the 

 English Collections were concerned, and, by the end of 1895, had 

 gone through part of the Foreign Collection, having, in all, examined 

 about three-fifths of the Society's Museum. 



An epitome of the contents of the Museum and a statement of 

 the work accomplished were laid before a Special Committee on 

 October 29th, 1895, and that Committee reported on November 6th 

 to the Council, recommending the transference of the Museum to the 

 National Collections on the conditions already cited, reserving to 

 the Society such specimens of historical interest or of an ornamental 

 nature as are displayed on the walls of the Society's Apartments. 

 This Report was, after careful consideration, adopted by the Council 

 on November 20th, 1895. 



