[ XV ] 



advantage of such historic herbaria being in close proximity to a library 

 containing old botanic books, it may be remarked that if the General 

 Herbarimn is removed to Kew the chief i-eason for maintaining a Depart- 

 mental Botanic Library at the British Museum is done away with, and the 

 main part of the Library should follow the Herbarium to Kew. And 

 indeed it might be further urged that steps should be taken to ensure that 

 the National Botanic Establishment, such as Kew would then be, should be 

 the seat of a Botanic Library as complete as possible. 



In respect to the Linnean Herbarium, its retention in so isolated a Historic coUec- 

 manner by the Linnean Society would become a still greater anomaly than it *'°"^ belonging 

 is at present if the Sloane Herbaria were removed to Kew, and the same Society. 

 may be said of the collection of the East India Company (including the 

 Wallichian t}^es) also in possession of the Linnean Society. It may fitly be 

 urged that the State ought to become the owners of the Linnean Herbarium 

 and other historic collections now the property of the Linnean Society, if * 



that Society could be induced to part wdtli them, in which case they too 

 should be transferred to Kew, 



There remains to be considered the British Herbarium. This is the The British Her- 

 only example of that geographic arrangement wdiich was recommended by barium at the 

 the Devonshire Commission as being one of special directions in which ^^^^^^ Museum. 

 Botany at the British Museum ought to develop, and it existed antecedent 

 to that Commission. This is a herbarimn of a special character with a 

 corresponding value. Specimens of plants found in Great Britain and 

 Ireland are not placed in the General Herbarium ; they are collected 

 together in this British Herbarium. The British Herbarium like the 

 General Herbarium is for the purposes of research, and can only be con- 

 sulted by investigators, not by the general public. 



The objections wdiich were referred to above as being urged against the it should not be 

 removal of the General Herbarium to Kew on account of the distance of left alone. 

 Kew from the centre of London, apply more closely to the British Her- 

 barium. It is this which is most frequently consulted by the busy man 

 spoken of above. But as we said above we cannot attach great weight to 

 these objections ; and obviously if all the rest of the herbaria are transferred 

 to Kew the British Herbarium must go too ; it could not be left alone at the 

 British Museum. 



In thus recommending the transference to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Proposed altera- 

 Kew of so large a portion of the botanic collections at present at the British tion in control 

 Museum, of all that portion in fact which is used for scientific research, we 

 are recommending a course of action of a very grave nature. We are aware 

 of the gravity of the recommendation. 



We have to consider whether the herbaria thus united at Kew should. Relations of the 

 as part of the Gardens, continue to be administered by the First Com- respective govern- 

 missioner of Works, either as heretofore, or with the introduction of some ^"S authorities. 

 supervision or control on the part of the British Museum, or whether they 

 should be administered by the Trustees of the British Museum, either as at 

 present constituted, or with some modifications in the management of the 

 British Museum. In the latter case we have further to consider the relations 

 of the First Commissioner to the British Museum as regards the adminis- 

 tration of the herbaria. 



From the evidence laid before us by the officials of the British Museum on Different relations 

 the one hand, and by the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on of the two 

 the other, it is clear that the relations of the Herbarium at the British berbaria to their 

 Museum to the rest of the Museum are very difi'erent from those of the surroundings. 

 Herbarium at Kew to the rest of the Gardens. The Herbarium at the 

 British Museum is solely an instrument of scientific research; its trans- 

 ference to Kew would not diminish, but rather increase, its scientific useful- 

 ness, and would not seriously, if at all, interfere Avith the scientific usefulness 



5086. A 



