SUMMAKV OK PREVIOUS ENQUIRIES. 



141 



54. It may be said tliat if the Kew Herbarium is to re- 

 main a great National Scientific Herbarium, the accommo- 

 dation to be given to botan}-, in the new building at 

 Soutli Kensington is excessive. But we do not think that 

 such will prove to be the case. In the first place, we 

 should not be disposed unduly to limit tlie power of the 

 Keeper of Botany in the British Museum to purchase 

 systematic collections for purposes of palwontological com- 

 parison ; and, in the secojid place, it would be highly use- 

 ful to have a geographically arranged collection in the 

 Brirish Museum as the complement of the purely syste- 

 m-'itiLally arranged collec' lou at Kew. 



55. Wo think it desirable, then, that the collection at 

 the Britisli Museum should be maintained and arranged 

 with special reference to the Geographical Distribution of 

 Plai'.ts and to Paleontology' ; and that the collection at 

 Kew shotdd be niaintaiued and arranged with especial 

 reference to Systematic Botany. And we are of opinion 

 that all collections of recent plants made by Governinent 

 Ex])t>ditions should, in the first instance, be sent to Kew, 

 to l.e there worked out and distributed, a set being re- 

 served for the British Museum ; and that all collections 

 of fossil plants made by Government Expeditions should 

 be sent to the British Museum. 



CONCLITSION AST) StJMMAKT OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 



With regard to the K'ational Botanical Collections and 

 Gardens we recommend : 



YI. That the collections at the Britasli Museum be 

 maintained and arranged with special reference 

 to the geographical distribution of plants and to 

 palaeontology ; and that the collections at Kew 

 be maintained and arranged with special re- 

 ference to systematic botany. 



YII. That all collections of recent plants made by 

 Government expeditions be, in the first instance, 

 sent to Kew, to be there worked out and dis- 

 tributed, a set being reserved for the British 

 Museum ; and that all collections of fossil 

 plants made by Government expeditions be 

 sent to the British Museum. 



Vni. That opportunities for the pursuit of investiga- 

 tions in physiological botany should be afforded 

 in the Royal Gardens at Kew. 



Appendix to Fourth Report. 

 * * * 



Appendix II. 



Documents relating to the Botanical Collections at Kew 

 and at the British Museum. 



[See p. 5-10, i.e. p. 138-141.] 



A. — -Memorandum with respect to the Herbarium and 

 Library at Kew previous to the appointment of the 

 late Sir W. J. Hooker as Director. 



The question of the Commissioners requires some ex- 

 planations, in order to anssver it satisfactoTily. The 

 Herbarium which existed at Kew previous to the late 

 .Sir W . J. Hooker's appointment as Director, was broken 

 up during the changes that were made avhen the garden 

 was put upon its new footing as a ptlblic establishment. 

 My personal knowledge of the Herbarium, however, 

 antedates my father's appointment to the Directorship. 

 From what I recollect myself, and from what Sir W. J. 

 Hooker told me, I believe that it was, for the period, 

 extensive, that it was arranged chiefl.;^' according to 

 countries, and was in part at any rate classified and weU 

 named. A large portion consisted of plants collected by 

 botanical explorers sent from the Royal Gardens to 

 various parts of the world, and styled officially " Botanical 

 Collectors to His Majesty." Their original instructions in- 

 cluded the preparation of two sets of Herbarium specimens, 

 one for Kenv, the other for Sir Joseph Banks. The 

 em^jloyment of collectors as a part of the establishment 

 ceased when the gardens were given up 'by the Royal 

 Family and .became Crown property, that is, previous to 

 my father's accession to office as Director. 



Towards the close of Sir Joseph Banks's life, a house, 

 called Hunten House, was purchased by the King with 

 the grounds attached, and added to the Royal property. 

 At the instance of Sir Joseph Banks, it was deter- 

 mined to devote this to the accommodation of a botanical 

 Library and Herbarium worthy of the country, and for 

 •which the garden collections would afford a foundation. 



3499. T 



One of the rooms was at the time fitted up with book- 

 shelves, as a commencement towards carrying out this 

 ])rojcct. 



At Sir J. Banks's death the plan was abandoned ; the 

 house remained empty for some years, and was even- 

 tually given as a private residence to the late King of 

 Hanover. This house is that now occupied by the 

 Herbarium and Library at Kew, and the bookshelves, 

 which remained undisturbed, have been devoted to their 

 original purpose. 



Amongst the collections, of the existence of which in 

 the garden I have evidence during the Directorship of 

 Mr. Alton, were extensive series of plants from Aus- 

 tralia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Pacific Islands, 

 and Brazil, besides named specimens of cultivated plants 

 kept for the identification of those growing in the 

 gardens. Sir W. J. Hooker often deplored to me the 

 breaking up of this Herbarium, depriving him, as it did, 

 of the ready means of identifying many plants in cultiva- 

 tion at Kew which had been sent there by collectors with 

 tlie native specimens transmitted from the same sources. 



I have evidence to show that Richard Cunningham, 

 one of the staff attached to Kew, was for many years 

 engaged in the arrangement of the collections and tha 

 determination of the plants in the gardens. He corre- 

 sponded during a long period with Sir W. J. Hooker, 

 then Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow. Writing; 

 under date January 22nd, 1824 (the project for using 

 Hunter House having fallen through at that time, owing 

 to Sir Joseph Banks's death), Richard Cunningham 

 says, " I have at length persuaded Mr. Alton to have a 

 room built in the gardens to contain the herbaria alto- 

 gether, which is now going on with, and as soon as I get 

 things set straight in it, I will commence upon a series 

 of S. African plants." 



He refers again to this during the following year 

 (November 3, 1825) in speaking of " the little convenience 

 we have had till lately in the garden room to arrange and 

 compare dried plants with the books." 



I am not aware of the extent or condition of the Library 

 at Kew previous to Sir W. J. Hooker's accession. There 

 was one of considerable size, however, which was the 

 private property of the Director, but was used for garden 

 purposes, as was subsequently that of Sir W. Hooker 

 for many years after the commencement of his Director- 

 ship. 



Annual cost of the present scientific staff attached to 

 the Royal Gardens, Kew : 



£ s. 

 Director (with house) - - - - 800 



Keeper of Herbaritmi and Library 



(with house) - - - - '- 400 



First Assistant ----- 250 



Second Assistant, £60 rising to £80 - 60 



Clerk in Herbarium - - - - 80 



Curator of the museums (3), £100 



rising to £i:-0 - - - - - 140 



Woman for cleaning Herbarium (with 

 Tooms) - - - - - 15 12 



Doorkeeper • - - - - - 46 16 



Total 



£1,792 8 



Royal Gardens, Kew, 



December 17, 1873. 



Jos. D. Hooker, 



Director. 



B. — Statement by Dr. Hooker respecting the Purchase 

 by the Government, of the Herbarium, Library. 

 Botanical Correspondence, Manuscripts, Portraits, 

 Drawings, etc., of the late Sir William JacksoD 

 Hooker. 



Royal Gardens, Kefl; 



Sir, Dec. 17, 1873. 



In compliance with your request, I transmit here- 

 «rith a Statement of the circumstances under whirjh the 

 botanical collections, etc., of the late Sir W. Hooker 

 were purchased by the Government, with the view of 

 their being permanently attached to the estaMishmenfc 

 at Kew, together with the documents relating thereto. 



I am, etc., 



„ ^ ^ o, Jos. D. HOOKEE. 



J. N. Lockyer, Esq., F.R.S. 

 Secretary to the Royal Commission on Science. 



