114 



Appendix I. 



perhaps, of the botanical. We believe, indeed, that in 

 various quarters the notion has been entertained of par- 

 tially or totally relieving the Museum from its collections 

 of natural history. To any scheme embracing this notion, 

 whether it involve the removal of the present collections 

 or the interruption of their due progress towards conj- 

 pleteness, we have seen objections in limine sufficient^ to 

 deter us from giving it any detailed consideration. The 

 comprehensive character of the Museum, the origin of 

 which may be traced to the heterogeneous nature of Sir 

 Hans Sloane's beque,st, doubtless makes it difficult to 

 provide for the expansion of its various branches accord- 

 ing to their relative demands upon the space and light 

 which can now be applied to their accommodation. Any 

 attempt, however, to diminish now that difficulty _ by 

 segregating any portion, or by scattering in various 

 localities the components of the vast aggregate, would 

 involve a sacrifice of great scientific advantages which are 

 not the less inherent in their union because that union 

 was in its origin fortuitous. The temporary difficulties, 

 expense, and inconvenience attending the transfer, how- 

 ever serious, are, in our opinion, quite subordinate to this 

 consideration. Some passages of our evidence will be 

 found to illustrate the difficulty of drawing a line of sepa- 

 ration for purposes of management and superintendence 

 between certain collections which, in some respects, are 

 sufficiently distinguishable from -each other. . • Its 

 occurrence indicates strongly the value to science of the 

 accidents which have placed in near juxtaposition the 

 colledtions of mineralogy, of forms of existing and of 

 extinct animal and vegetable life. (p. 36.) 

 * * * 



The botaaiical depai-tmeut is under the charge of Eabert 

 Brown, and certain suggestions which he made as to in- 

 ternal arrangements, are approved ; they need not be set 

 out at length here, aS the eircuanistances then existing 

 have entirety altered. He gave in a list of visitors to the 

 department, of wliieh tli.e Coanmissioners say: — "This 

 list being only a record of first admissions, gives us no 

 informatfon as to the number of visits paid by any of the 

 individuals mentioned to the collections. It shows, 

 however, by the names recorded, that this depai-t- 

 ment, though hitheito possessing little attraction for 

 ordinary observers, is an object of great attraction^ to 

 men of scientific eminence of this and other countries. 

 To all such that attraction is doubtless at present much 

 enihanced by the European repntotion of its present 

 curator."' The intended exhibition of part of the collec- 

 tions is then alluded to, and in commenting on the other 

 natural histoi-y departments the sentence occurs, "The 

 botaaiical department s'hould contain all the collections of 

 the vegetable kingdom, both recent and fossil" (p.43). 



Eabert Brown was the first witness examined as to his 

 own department. He described himself as the keeper of 

 the botanical collections, his appointment as under- 

 librarian being dated 19th September, 1827 ; he bringing 

 his department with him. This he had previously 

 explained before the Select Committee ; by it he meant 

 that he brought with him the collection of Sir Joseph 

 Banks. When he came to the Museum he had charge 

 of nothing but what he brought with him, and that con- 

 tinued for more than seven years ; then, having repeatedly 

 pressed upon the Trustees the d'esirability of having con- 

 trol of all the botanic materials which were in the 

 Museum, they at length directed that the transfer should 

 take place, which was done in July, 1835, including the 

 Sloane collection, itself very extensive, and whatever 

 additions had been made to it, which did not amount 

 to much. For some years after the Banksian collections 

 had been brought to the Museum, he bad no funds to 

 augment them, but in his report to the Trustees of Jtily, 

 1834, he had said : — 



" .... to preserve tlie relative importance and 

 the actual utility of the Banksian Herbarium as a collec- 

 tion of reference, an annual sum not exceeding perhaps 

 somewhat under £100, is necessary to enable him to 

 make such arlditions to it as may be occasionally obtained 

 by purchase." In the estimate for the following year he 

 obtained a grant of £80, which in 1840 was increased to 

 £100. When any addition was contemplated he always 

 sent in a report to the Trustees, and his recommenda- 

 tions were not always adopted, prdbably from motives 

 of economy. In 1828 he had pointed out that he was 

 accumulating material for an exhibition of botanical pro- 

 ducts ; in June, 1847, in response to a Minute of the 

 Trustees, he specified the room required for the material 

 already prepared for public display, but stated that in 

 ■order "to give due extent to the present collection, it 

 would be necessary to make an addition to the sum of 

 £100 now annually allotted for the purchase of speci- 



mens to be added to the arranged herbarium, ani which, 

 though ihe has hitherto found it sufficient for that pur- 

 pose, would certainly not enable him to obtain such 

 specimens as are fitted for exhibition. An annual addi- 

 tion of £50 would, he believes, answer the purpose. The 

 principal materials fit for exliibition would be the follow- 

 ing : — 1st, Specimens of structure, illustrating vegetable 

 anaibomy and physiology, and suclli as are of remiarka'ble 

 appearance, chiefly monocotyledonous, calculated to give 

 a noition of the most striking peculiarities in the vegeta- 

 tion of distant parts of the world. Of this class several 

 very rare and valuable spec-.imens have already been ob- 

 tained. 2nd. The fructification of palms especially but 

 also of many other tribes of such size as necessarily to 

 exclude them from an arranged herbarium ; and of this 

 division also many interesting specimens are already in 

 the collection. 3rd. Woods from various parts of the 

 w"orld, the existing collection of which is yet very' limited, 

 and requires preparation, but which might, both by 

 presents and purchase, be greatly increased ; and. 

 fourthly, there is already in the department a collection 

 of models of English fungi, accurately made by the late 

 Mr. James Sowerby, and purchased from his son severaL 

 years ago. Most of the specimens now refeiTed to are 

 deposited, or rather, warehoused, in the outer room of' 

 the Botanical Department, where the duties of the 

 attendants, chiefly in fixing specimens, are performed, 

 which is fully occupied by the geogi-aphioally-aiTanged 

 specimens in upright presses, and by tables in the centre 

 of the room, containing the old collections of plants bound - 

 in volumes, chiefly of the Sloane Museum." Tlie report 

 concluded by stating that this exhibition might be useful 

 in attracting the attention of travellers and of naval - 

 officers, who might then be induced to collect and forward, 

 other specimens from various parts of the world. He 

 did not recomimend an exhibition showing the adaptation-' 

 of vegetable tissues to economical purposes, deeming that 

 beyond his department, and more adapted to the Society 

 of Arts. 



In his report to the Trustees of 9th June and 

 8th December, 1847, Mr. Brown had again referred 

 to the proposed exhibition in the outer room of 

 the Botanical Department. He considered it 

 obviously unfitted for that purpose, and that the 

 suggestion would not have been made " had du&- 

 attention been paid to the manner in which the 

 room in question is occupied, and to the importance 

 of its principal contents in relation to the systematically 

 arranged herbariiuu contained in the cabinets of the inner ■ 

 room. . . The upper and principal division of the up- 

 right close presses of both sides of the outer room con- 

 tain, and are nearly filled with, specimens of plants from 

 various countries, geographically arranged. From these - 

 materials selections are constantly made for incorporation 

 with the systematically-arranged herbarium of the inner- 

 room ; iminterrupted access to these presses is obviously 

 necessary for this purpose, which, in fact, forms the prin- 

 cipal duty of the department. The specimens so selected 

 and prepared are then properly fixed by the attendants- 

 in the outer room. The lower and smaller divisions of 

 the upright fittings contain collections of seeds and seed 

 vessels, in part .belonging to the Sloane Museum, partly 

 to the Banksian, and others more recently obtained. Ta. 

 these collections free access at all times is also necessary. 

 The upright glazed presses at both ends of the room con- 

 tain such specimens as from their bulk and nature can 

 form no part of a systematically-arranged herbarium, but 

 which are interesting to the scientific visitor. The greater ■ 

 part of these specimens are also fitted for public inspec- 

 tion, but they would fomi a very small part of the in- 

 tended exhibition, are too much crowded in their present 

 state, and the space now occupied by the presses contain- 

 ing them will very soon be required for a more important' 

 purpose, namely, for the necessary extension of the sys- 

 tematic herbarium, which alreatly veiy nearly fills the 

 inner room. The centre of the outer room is fully occu- 

 pied by tables containing, chiefly, the various herbaria, in. 

 bound volumes, of the Sloane Museum. . . It will ap- ■ 

 pear from the account of the outer room now given that 

 its contents are of great importance, and cannot be re- 

 moved or disttirbed without essential detriment to the de- 

 partment ; that the room, in its present state, is wholly 

 unfitted for an exhibition ; and that, were the case other-- 

 wise, it couii.i not be so applied without manifestly and' 

 greatly impeding the most important duties of the Botani- 

 cal Department." 



Jfo decision has been come to on the part of the Trustees : 

 as to the accommodation Fequired -for tbe exhibition, al- 

 though witness had called their attention to it on the 

 occasion of the last visitation in May, which annual event 

 is the only opportunity he had of personally reporting to=- 



