32 



DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE ON BOTANICAL WORK 



Dr. M. T. 



Masters, 



F.R.S. 



of the vegetable kingdom in which you ai'e engaged? — - 

 Certainly. 



628. I believe it is the Coniferee that you pay special 



,,„ ^,.„, attention to? — Yes, latterly. 



14 Nov. 1900. ' •' , . , 1 • i. • 1 

 629. Have you always found, outside mere historical 



research, all that you want at Ivew ? — ^Yes. 



630. Have you had from time to time to go to the 

 British Museum for material which you could not find at 

 Kew in connection with modern research? — Never. 



631. Then as a horticulturist you attach very great im- 

 portarice to the herbarium at Kew ? — Certainly. 



632. Can you say in what respect it is important? I 

 take it it is obviously important as a means of correctly 

 naming the living plants in the gardens ? — Yes. 



633. Is it used in other ways by horticulturists ? — Yes, 

 certainly. If one had to prepare a monograph one would 

 go to Kew, in the first instance, and consult the her- 

 barium there. He would simply go to the British Museum 

 to sweep up anything that might be left. 



634. If a proposal were made to unite in a certain way 

 the two herbaria, what are the relative advantages and 

 disadvantages of the union taking place, on the one hand 

 at Kew and on the other hand at the British Museum 1 — 

 It is rather a large question to answer. 



635. Let me rather take first the general herbarium 

 of the British Museum and the herbarium at Kew. Sup- 

 posing that it was desirable to efi'ect that union, what is 

 your opinion as to the place where the united herbaria 

 should be situated? — Kew, decidedly. 



636. For what reasons ? — Because it is so much more 

 convenient. The collections are already much larger 

 there, the arrangement is easier, the books are better, 

 and obtained with greater facilities. For all those reasons 

 I should certainly say Kew. 



637. You find that not only is the collection richer, but 

 the work iof consulting the herbarium, on account of the 

 arrangements, is carried on with greater facility at Kew 

 than at the British Museum 1 — That is my opinion. 



638. You do not think that the greater distance of the 

 journey to Kew than that to the British Museum is of 

 importance ? — No ; I do not think it makes any differ- 

 ence. A botanist who has got work to do does not care 

 whether he travels a few miles more or a few miles less, 

 seeing the much greater convenience there is at Kew. 



639. You do not think that is a matter of practical im- 

 portance, the somewhat greater distance of Kew from the 

 centre of London ? — That is my opinion. 



640. I take it, then, that, supposing the union should 

 be desirable, that union, in your opinion, should take 

 place at Kew ? — ^Yes ; of course, I am speaking generally. 



641. Such a union might take place in two or three 

 ways. There might be a complete incorporation ; there 

 might be a union in this way : that one herbarium should 

 be put in a building close bj^, quite separate from the 

 other ; and there is a third, a middle course, that the 

 allied cabinets might be placed side by side, without 

 actual incorporation of the sheets. Which method of 

 union do you think "is the one to be recommended ? — It 

 is a question of expense. It would involve great exten- 

 sion of space, and the Government would have to put up 

 fresh buildings. The herbarium building at Kew is not 

 big enough now. 



642. But of the three methods, do you think that having 

 two separate buildings, with the Kew collection in one 

 and the British Museum collection in the other, is the 

 best arrangement, or having one building in which the 

 cabinets are kept separate, or do you think the third plan 

 of total incorporation is the best? — I prefer the second 

 plan, that of putting the cabinets side by side. That is 

 supposing you have room. 



643. In your opinion that would meet all the necessary 

 requirements of the persons who are conducting investi- 

 gations in the herbarium ? — I think so. 



644. They would have really as much advantage, or 

 nearly as much advantage, from that as from actual in- 

 corporation of the sheets ? — ^Yes ; actual incorporation 

 would be almost impossible. 



645. You mean on account of the difference in the size 

 of the sheets 1 — Yes. 



646. And it would be a matter, I suppose, of very great 

 labour? — Yes; the time occupied would be enormous. 



647. The collection of the British Museum consists, as 

 you know, of a general herbarium, the British herbarium, 

 and certain historical pre-Linnean herbaria? — Yes. 



648. Do I understand that you recommend that the 



British herbarium and the pre-Linnean herbaria should 

 be left at the British Museum ? — I think so. 



649. Why do you think so? — Because they are nearer 

 to the British Museum main Library, and, again, they 

 are near to the Linnean collections at tlie Linnean 

 Society, and it is to a certain extent a different class 

 of students who go in for historical botany. 



650. That is to say, of the men who are carrying out 

 at Kew researches in modern botany there would be 

 relatively few who would have occasion to appeal to the 

 historical herbaria ? — That is so. 



651. Would you be satisfied, at a botanist, that the 

 botanical collection at the British Museum should be 

 limited to the popular Educational Exhibition in the pub- 

 lic galleries, to the historical herbaria, and to the British 

 Herbarium ? — Yes, and the educationaL 



652. Do you mean by the educational anything more 

 than the public galleries? — Yes, representatives of each 

 natural order, for instance. 



653. Does that exist now? — It exists now in a much 

 larger form. 



654. But you would have the present British herbarium 

 maintained as it is ? — ^Yes. 



655. You would have the historical herbaria main- 

 tained as they are? — ^Yes. 



656. In addition to that, you would have a new her- 

 barium for educational purposes of a limited character, 

 and not intended in any way for research ? — Yes. 



657. You think it would be an advantage, then, to 

 transfer the general herbarium to Kew, so that they 

 might be together at hand at one time, and in one place, 

 for the investigator ? — I think so, but it is conditioned by 

 the enormous expense. 



658. Are the advantages of such a change, in your 

 opinion, such as would justify any large expense ? — No, I 

 do not think they are. 



659. It has been represented that the interests of 

 botany are forwarded by having two institutions in 

 Ijondon, at both of which botanical research is being 

 carried on_, at Kew and the British Museum, that is to 

 say, 'the rivalry is a stimulus to enquiry. Do you think 

 there is any moment in that consideration? — No. I 

 think that is more a question of the man, the worker. 

 An earnest worker would not be influenced by such 

 considerations as those. 



_ 660. We are all of us more or less influenced by 

 rivalry and competition, are we not? — To a certain ex- 

 tent we are. 



661. But you do not think that in a question of bo- 

 tanical research is a matter of serious consideration? — 

 No, I do not think it is. 



662. {Lord Avehury.) You spoke of the greater rich- 

 ness of the Kew collections. Is that due to some ex- 

 tent, at any rate, to the fact of the collections made 

 by Government expeditions having been sent to Kew 

 of late yeaxs more than to the Natural History Mu- 

 seum? — I should think it is. 



663. Did you wish to imply that there had been: 

 any greater energy on the part of the authorities at 

 Kew. or any laxity on the part of the authorities at 

 the British Museum? — Certainly not. I make no im- 

 putations whatever on the officials. 



664. The greater richness of Kew is not owing to 

 any undue energy on their part ?— Certainly not. 



665.^ Why do you consider it is easier to carry on 

 botanical research aifc Kew? — Because everything is 

 nearer to one's hand. The arrangement is better. °T1t^ 

 plants are all arranged in geographical order, instead 

 of being according to their botanical sequence, and the 

 books are more easily got at. 



666. The rollections are arranged at Kew m geo- 

 gi'aphical order, and the arrangement at the British 

 jMuseum is .•ici.-ording to the natural orders? — Yes. 



667. Would you consider there is some advantage in 

 having two different collections, arranged in a somewhat 

 different manner? — ^Certainly, if you can afford it. 



668. But having got them, you think it would h&- 

 ir.'idvis.ible to sacrifice that adv^antaae? — Certainly. 



669. If the two collections were amalgamated tlie col- 

 hiction of the British Museum would have to be re- 

 distributed according to the localities, and that would 

 be a serious undertaking ?— Very serious. Owing to the 

 difference in size of the sheets, they would have to> 

 bs cat, or the specimens remcuiirf:ed. 



670. Do j^ou consider there is an advajitage to bo- 



