SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS ENQUIRIES. 



ri:ames have been recently affixed to the plants ; and Mr. 

 \iton is so anxious to declare his opinion of tlieir utility, 

 that he has writt-en the following letter upon tlie 



-^ubiect: — . ^ , t- 



"Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, 

 " '• 22 Febniarr, 1838. 

 -Sir,— To correct any misunderstanding as to my 

 opinion of naming plants in the garden, I take this oppor- 

 Turiitv to state that, for the advantage of tlie visitore 

 generally, as well as for the instruction of the gardeners 

 m employ, I consider each individual species should be 

 distinctly and carefully labelled with the ascertained scien- 

 tial • name, et^c. 



" I am. etc., 



•' (Signed) W. T. Airox. 

 •' To Dr. Lindley." 



•• It is difficult to reconcile this statement with the fact 

 that up to a recent period no means had been taken to 

 carry such an object into effect. 



-That no communication is maintained with colonia;l 

 gardens is apparent, from the garden-book of deliveries. . . 

 It will be seen from this document that since the year 

 1830 the only deliveries to colonial gardens, or in aid 

 of the British Government, have been one to the garden 

 of Xew South Wales and one to Lord Auckland, when 

 proceeding to his Government in India. Mr. Alton states 

 that all such a^iplications have been complied with. . . . 

 It is well knovai tliat a great desire is felt in the colonies 

 to produce plants from'this country; it is equally well 

 known that applications to other gardens for such assis- 

 tance are extreniely common. It is therefore singular 

 that what happens so frequently elsewhere should so sel- 

 dom happen in the botanical garden of Kew. . . . Mr. 

 Aiton states that in this matter he has acted upon his 

 own judgment, and by virtue of his authority as director- 

 general of the Royal Gardens ; that he has always re- 

 garded the botanical garden a private establishment ; that 

 the only rule which he has obseiwed in giving away dupli- 

 cates has been to assist those who were likely to aid the 

 ■ Garden in return ; and that, in his opinion, it is desirable 

 that the Garden shotild be conducted upon the most 

 liberal plan consistent with the safety of the collections. 



" Undoubtedly it has been in one sense a private garden 

 of the Crown, inasmuch as its ordinary charges have been 

 defrayed by the Lord Steward's department ; but, on 

 the other hand, all the large expenses for foreign collec- 

 tors having been for many years paid by the Treasury or 

 Admiralty, it must be considered, to a certain extent, a 

 public ga*rden also. . . . 



"After all the explanation that lias been offered, after 

 allowing full weight to the assertion that the botanical 

 garden at Kew has always been a private establishment, 

 admitting, moreover, that a larger ntimber of plants ha-s 

 been given away than is generally stipposed, and that in 

 many cases applications for plants have been liberally 

 complied with, which is undottbtedly the fact, it really 

 does seem impossible to say that it has been conducted 

 with that liberality or anxiety to promote the ends of 

 science, and to render it useful to the country, which it 

 is u.sual to meet with in similar institutions elsewhere. 



" If the botanical garden of Kew is relinquished by the 

 Lord Steward, it should either be at once taken for pub- 

 lic purposes, gradually made worthy of the country, and 

 converted into a powerftil means of promoting national 

 science, or it should be abandoned. It is little better 

 than a waste of money to maintain it in its present state, 

 ' if it fulfils no intelligible purpo.se except that of shelter- 

 ing a large quantity of rare and valuable plants. 



" The importance of public botaaiicai gardens has for cen- 

 turies been recognised by the governments of civilised 

 states, and at this time there is no European nation with- 

 out stich an establis>hment 'except England. . ." 



The reporter then gives in detail his ideas as to the 

 functions whicli such a garden should fulfil in order to 

 carry out the proper dtities of a national botanical garden. 

 These, being chiefly of cultural import, are omitted. 



Mr. W. T. Aiton intimated his intention to retire by 

 resigning his positon at the end of 1840 ; the management 

 was transferred to the Commissioners of Woods and 

 Forests, and ultimately Professor, afterwards Sir Wil- 

 liam .Jackson Hooker, Regius Professor of Botany at 

 Glasgow, was apnointed Director of the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, his duties beginning on 1st April, 1841. 



The new Director had brought with him a very large 

 herbarium, which was accommodated in a house. West 

 Park, specially rented by Government, till some years 

 later other aiTangements were made by which the 

 Director's residence was in close proximity to the 



Gardens themselves, the licrbarium being lodged in 

 other Government properly, and West Park quitted. 



AIEMORL\L OF THE BRITISH ASSOCLITION AND 

 OTHER SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



A copy of a memorial to the First Lord of the Treasury 

 (Lord John Russell), presented on the 10th day of 

 March, 1847, by members of the British Association of 

 Science and of' other scientific societies, respecting the 

 management of the British Museum, with the names 

 athxed, began : — 



"We, the undersigned members of the British 

 Society for the Advancement of Science, and of vari- 

 ous scientific societies, respectfully submit to the 

 consideration of your Lordship that a strong feeling 

 pervades the naturalists of our countiy, that the pro- 

 motion of the science of natural history is very inade- 

 quately provided for by the present constitution <if 

 the Board of Trustees of the British Museum." It 

 proceeded to point out that so long as the Museum 

 consisted of a hbrary and limited collections of anti- 

 quities and natural curiosities, it was easily managed 

 by such a body, but the memorial goes on to say: 

 "We would earnestly represent to your Lordship 

 that the qualifications of these gifted individuals do 

 not necessarily include an interest in, or the ability 

 to judge of, many of those measures which may best 

 promote natural history, and consequently that there 

 is no effective provision (in the absence of other men 

 of science) for the proper guidance of the natural his- 

 tory department, or for having at tliei Board Trustees 

 who can explain to their associates the desiderata of 

 nattiralists, and estimate the value of new specimens, 

 either offered to or purchased by the nation. 



"Fully acknowledging that in their accomplish- 

 ments and high characters the present Trustees offer 

 the best sureties for the satisfactory execution of any 

 duties connected ■with their own pursuits, we still 

 think that with the best disposition (and they have 

 already done much good service) these distinguished 

 men are unable adequately to direct the vast and 

 rapidjly increasing natiu-al history departments of 

 the Museum, and we can even well suppose that 

 they would themselves be happy to be relieved from 

 the heavy responsibility which must be attached to 

 the application of the large sum annually voted by 

 Parliament for the support of natural science. 



"Deeply impressed with these sentiments, we beg 

 to suggest, for the consideration of your Lordship, 

 that steps should be taken to effect such an improve- 

 ment in the constitution of the Trust as shall render 

 the management of the Natural History departments 

 of the British Museum, as far as possible, inde- 

 pendent of the other divisions ; and on this point we 

 would beg to refer your lordship to the original plan 

 of Sir Hans Sloane. 



"In offering this suggestion, we do not contem- 

 plate a separation of the Natural History collections 

 from the other departments of the British Museum, 

 as we well know that the culitivatton of natural science 

 cannot be efficiently carried on without reference to 

 an extensive library." 



This memodial was signed by Sir Roderick Impey 

 Murehison, President of the British Association, the 

 Right Reverend Edward Stanley, Bishop of Norwich 

 and President of the Linnean Society, and fifty-five other 

 signatories of distinction in science. 



ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE BRITISH 



MUSEUM. 



A Royal Commission was issued, dated 17tli of .Tune, 

 1847, with a supplementary Commission dated the 5th 

 of May, 1848, "for the purpose of inquiring into the 

 constitution and government of the British Museum, the 

 administration of its funds, and the organisation, arrange- 

 ments, and present condition of the several departments 

 of that establishment, with the view of ascertaining in 

 what manner that national institution may be made most 

 effective for the advancement of literature, science, and 

 the arts," which commission reported in 1850. 



The attention of tihe Commissioners was principally 

 directed to matter's which do not fall ivjthin the province 

 of this Committee, but the portions which are relevant are 

 as follows : — 



" The additional s;pace likely to be required for the exi- 

 gencies of the library may probably be calculated with 

 some precision, so as to cover aaiy specified period. The 

 task obviously becomes more difficult in the case of any 

 of the departments of natural history, with the exception, 



