MINUTES OF EVIDENCE. 



33 



tanical science in liaving the t«'o collections airangtd 

 one according to goograpliy and the other according to 

 the na:ural orders :' — Cndoubtedly there is an advantage. 



671. Is tJiere nob greater facility in the Xa'ural His- 

 tory Musenm in tlie matter uf tables and space than 

 there is at ^present in tjlie Kew hei'baruuu'l — I should 

 not say so. TJiere is much nun-e Iiijht and much 

 greater facility at Kew for working, i am nut making 

 any imputation on the authorities. 



672. It has nothing to do with the officials, but it is 

 the nature of tlie building that makes it easier? — Yes. 



675. You do not attach importance to the greater 

 facility of access, but is it not for London botanisits 

 and provincial botanists who come up to Lon- 

 don a considerable .advantage to have a collect'.on which 

 can be got at witli less expenditure of time than at 

 Kew, in going ito wiliich they have to look out trains, 

 and so on?— ^I tliink for purposes of botanical reseairoh 

 to earnest students that is a trifle. For amateurs and 

 dilettanti the Museum is more important. 



674. If you have important, research which is taking 

 a foitiught, or a month, or a long space of time, then 

 it does not very much matter ; but without being 

 merely a dilettante you may be a serious student, and 

 have certain points you wish to look up which would 

 not take very long. Do you not co.nsider that .the 

 gi-eater accessdbili'iy of the BnLtish Museum is an ad- 

 vantage ? — It would be in tihat«a.s€. 



675. {Sir John Kirli.) If the Msborical collections 

 were to be kept in London are there any historical col- 

 lections at Kew which might be removed fro.m Kew to 

 the 2<'atural History Museum? — ^I cannot answer tR.at 

 question, but I do not think there are. 



676. {Mr Seymour.) I think you said the library at 

 Kow was more accessible tlian at the British Museum : 

 in what respect? — It is side by side with the herbarium, 

 and one can go to tlie library and take down a book 

 with the greatest ease. At the Museum you may not 

 do that. Vou have to ask one of the assistants to get 

 it for you, and perhaps it is not in that room, and 

 tliey have to send elsewhere for it. I am only speak- 

 in'.; of my own experience. 



677. That is merely a question of arrangement? — 

 Yef. 



67S. {Lord Avchury.) That refers to the books in the 

 General Library, but is there not a working library in 

 the actual room?— I am speaking now of tlie working 

 library. 



679. The -working librajy at the Katural Hisitoiy 

 Museum is in the botanical collection ? — ^Yes, but it ia 

 nrt so easily consulted — at least I do not find it so. 



68C. {Mr. Seymour.) You do not yourself advocate 

 any change in the present arrangement? — I think it is 

 a matter of expense. 



681. Otherwise you think things are satisfactory _ as 

 the> are ? — Yes, I tliink they are. If we were beginning 

 again there is. of course, no doubt what should be done, 

 but as the Museum is there and Kew is there it is 

 better to go on as we are, unless we are prepared to 

 spend an enormous amount of money. 



682. Does the present system_ involve much work 

 being done twice over? — No, I think not. 



685. {Professor Balfour.) With regard to the richness 

 of the collections, it is not only in the Coniferse, but in 

 all the flowering plants you consider that of Kew tlie 

 richer ? — -Yes. 



684. You said the collections at Kew were arranged 

 geographically, and those of the British Museum after 

 the°natural orders ; are they not in tKe natural system 

 at Kew, with a subordinate geographical arrangement? 

 —Yes. 



685. At the British Museum there is no geographi- 

 col Bub-division ? — iN'one at all. 



686. That used to be the case at Kew, was it not ?— 

 Yes, I think so, many years ago. 



687. At Kew at present there is a combination of both 

 the geographical arrangement and the natural system'/ — 

 Yes. 



688. At the British Museum there is only the natural 

 system? — ^That is so. 



689. You say that practically it is expense that would 

 prevent you urging an amalgamation of the two. If 

 the amalgamation could be carried out with small ex- 

 pense do you think it would be an advantage ? — Cer- 

 tainly. 



690. Supposing you retain iHre liistorical collections at 

 3499 



the British Museum, having amalgamation of the others, p^. ^ a. 

 wliat about the libraiy ? Do you think there should bo ,]f'astcrs 

 kept up as big a libraiy at the British Museum as tliere k.r.k. 



is now ? — I should not add to it ; I should keep it as it 



is, except in the case of the books that had a bearing upon 14 Nov. ISOO. 

 tlie "old masters." 



691. You would not add any new works that came 

 out '( — "No, except purely educational books ; not re- 

 search books. 



692. Apart from the advantage of a rivalry, it has been 

 pointed out to us that it is imporlant to keep the botani- 

 cal collections at the British Musemii as they are on 

 accoimt of the unitj- resulting from having all the natural 

 history collections together ; do you attach much impor- 

 tance to 'that ? — Not practica'Uy ; theoretically, yes. 

 Practically it is of no consequence. 



693. Tiien with regard to the visits of the London 

 botanists, you do not attach any importance to the dis- 

 tance of Kew from London? — I do not think it is material 

 at all. 



694. Are you quite satisfied that research students all 

 go to Kew now in the first instance ? — I believe so, speak- 

 ing generally. 



695. And then they go back to the British Museum, 

 as you say, '' to sweep up " ? — Yes. 



696. That involves again another visit to Kew, does 

 not it? — ^Yes, usually. 



697. So that there is a good deal of oscUlation ? — Yes. 



698. That would be all removed if you amalgamated 

 the two herbaria? — ^Yes. 



699. If you keeip tlie British lierGarium alone at Souitli 

 [vens'ington that would probably supply the needs of all 

 those botanists who make casual visits ? — ^Yes. 



700. Would that be quite sufficient from your point of 

 view ? — I think so. 



701. Can you tell me what is the practice of most of 

 the horticulturists in London if they want to get plants 

 iiamed ; do they go to Kew or the British Museum ? — 

 To Kew. I am only speaking generally ; I do not say 

 aB. 



702. Is that because of the garden being there, or is 

 it because, like yourself, they find it is easier to get the 

 plants named ?— The garden, of course, is a most impor- 

 tant thing. 



703. Do you think t.hat the garden, apart from the 

 herbarium, influences them in going there? — Certainly. 



704. Do you know the arrangement of the specimens 

 at the Museum at South Kensington? — Yes, in such 

 orders as I have worked at. 



705. Apart from the herbarium, you know that there 

 is a systematic arrangement of plants there and certain 

 morphological collections ? — ^Yes. 



706. Do you know if these are much used by teachers 

 in London ? — Yes, I think so. 



707. Are you a teacher yourself? — ^I used to be, many 

 years ago. 



70S. Did you use them then?— Yes. 



709. Did you take your students there ? — No. 



710. Did you use the present museum at Cromwell 

 Road, or was it the old museum at Bloomsbury? — I have 

 used both. 



711. Did you find it very useful ? — ^Yes. 



712. Do you think that is an element which is much 

 wanted in London? — Certainly. 



713. And would it be an advantage to have something 

 like that extended? — Certainly. 



714. There is one branch I believe in which you your- 

 self are very much interested — teratology ; that is not 

 at all represented just now, is it, at South Kensington ? 

 •^I think not. 



715. That would be a branch which ought to be repre- 

 sented ? — Decidedly. 



716. And it would be very attractive, would it not? — 

 I think so. 



717. And interest people very much ? — Certainly. 



718. {Mr. Darwin.) I am not sure that I quite imder- 

 stood the sort of proportion you make between the col- 

 lections at Kew and those at the British Museum. I 

 rather had the impression that you felt the Kew Her- 

 barium was so overwhelmingly more important that it 

 was not a matter of very much importance whether you 

 went to the British Museum or not? — I should not like 

 to put it in those words. 



E 



