142 



Appendix I : 



Sir W. Hooker, on his decease on August 12, 1855, 

 left instructions to his Executors that his herbarium 

 (exclusive of such specimens as were exhibited in the 

 Museums at Kew), together with such parts of his library 

 an were required to complete that at Kew, his botanical 

 correspondence, collection of portraits of botanists, his 

 manuscripts, drawings of plants, botanical scenery, etc., 

 should be offered by his Executors to tne Government 

 for purchase at a fair valuation, "to be deposited at 

 Kew, as part of the Crown property attached to the 

 Eoyal Gardens." 



In pursuance of these instructione, the offer was made, 

 through the Eight Honourable the First Commissioner 

 of Her Majesty's Works, for the purchase of the whole, 

 for a sum of £7,000, viz. : 



Herbarium ------ -£5,000 



Books -------- 1,000 



Correspondence, manuscripts, portraits, etc. 1,000 



The sum asked for the herbarium was based on an 

 estimate of the actual expenditure incurred by Sir W. 

 Hooker on the purchase of specimens and the materials 

 for their consei-vation during the 60 years he had 

 devoted to its formation. He took no account of the 

 value of specimens jDresented to him by public and private 

 ibodies, nor of the value of the returns he made for 

 them ; nor of the collections made by persons employed 

 iu Government expeditions, and which collections were 

 presented to himself by the Government ; nor of the 

 salaries of Curators paid by himself and engaged upon 

 •the arrangement of the herbarium during upwards of 

 30 years. 



In reference to the herbarium especially, a memorial 

 (of Tvhich a copy is herewith enclosed) was presented to 

 the First Commissioner of Her Majesty's Works, urging 

 its purchase ; it was signed by the Professors of Botany 

 in the leading Universities of the Kingdom, the Pre- 

 sidents of the Royal, Linnean, and Royal Geographical 

 Societies, and by the Keeper of the Botanical Collections, 

 and the Superintendent of the Natural History Depart- 

 ments of the British Museum. The memorialists state 

 that the herbarium was " generally aclmowledged to be 

 the most extensive in Europe " : that it "is in constant 

 and daily use by the Establishment of Kew Gardens ; 

 to the due working of which, whether in a scientific or 

 a practical or an economic point of view, we cannot but 

 regard it as absolutely essential," and add their confident 

 hope " that the opportunity may not be lost of per- 

 manently establishing the unity of a collection so justly 

 celebrated amongst men of science in all parts of the 

 world." 



The offer was unconditionally accepted by the Lords 

 of Her Majesty's Treasury, as shown in the accompany- 

 ing letter, addressed by the First Commissioner of Her 

 Majesty's Works to Dr. Hooker. 



J. D. HOOKEE. 



(Copy.) 



To the Right Honourable the First Commissioner of 

 Her Majesty's Works. 



We, the undersigned, having understood that in pur- 

 suance of the instructions left by the late Sir William 

 Jackson Hooker, his herbarium and botanical collections, 

 together with such of his books as are wanting to coe:.- 

 plete the Botanical Library at Kew, have been offered 

 through you to Her Majesty's Government, and believing 

 that, under the above circumstances, the sum of £6,000 

 would be accepted for the whole, beg leave to urge upon 

 your consideration the importance to science in general, 

 and especially to the Estaibliishment of the Royal 

 Gardens at Kew, that these unrivalled collections should 

 be secured to the Nation. 



When, in 1852, this herbarium was removed from Sir 

 William Hooker's private residence to the late King of 

 Hanover's house at Kew, it was already generally 

 acknowledged to be the most extensive in Europe, the 

 result of forty years' incessant exertion and liberal ex- 

 penditure, and has since been largely increased at Sir 

 William's private cost. It has ever been most liberally 

 laid open to Scientific Botanists of tEs and other 

 Countries, and i% in constant and daily use by the 

 Establishment of Kew Gardens, to the due working of 

 which, whether in a scientific or in a practical or in an 

 economic point of view,we cannot but consider it as 

 absolutely essential. 



We believe, also, that the Botanical Works not already 

 in the National Library at Kew, but which Sir William 



allowed the Establishment the free use of, will be found 

 to be numerous and of great value. 



We, therefore, confidently hope that the opportunity 

 may not be lost of permanently establishing the unity 

 of a collection so justly celebrated amongst men of 

 Science in all parts of the world. 



Charles Daubeny, 



Professor of Botany in the Universitv of 

 Oxford. 



Charles C. Babington, 



Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Cambridge. 

 J. H. Balfour, 



Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Edinburgh. 

 G. Walker Arnott, 



Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Glasgow. 

 W. H. Harvey, 



Professor of Botany in the University of 

 Dublin. 

 Daniel Oliver, 



Professor of Botany, UniveEDsity College, 

 London. 

 John J. Bennett, 



Keeper of the Botanical Collections of the 

 British Museum. 

 George Bentham, 



President of the Linnean Society of London. 

 Richard Owen, 



Superintendent of the Natural History 

 Departments, British Museum. 



In thorough conviction of the propriety and importance 

 of adding Sir William Hooker's Herbarium to the 

 Botanical Collections at Kew : 



Edward Sabine, 



President of the Royal Society. 



Rod. I. Murchison, 



President of the Royal Geographical Society. 



4498. 



(Copy.) 



Office of Works, S.W., 



October 13, 1866. 



iSir, — Referring to the correspondence which has taken 

 place on the subject of the herbarium, etc., of the late 

 Sir Wm.- Hooker, offered by his Executors, in pursuance 

 of his instructions, to the Government for deposit in 

 Kew Gardens, I am directed by the First Commissioner 

 of Her Majesty's Works, etc., to acquaint you that the 

 Lords of the Treasury have informed him that they are 

 fully sensible of the value of this collection, and that 

 they are willing to sanction the purchase thereof for the 

 sum of £7,000, viz.. 



For herbarium - - - £5,000 



books 

 portraits* 



1,000 

 1,000 



£7,000 



out of moneys to be voted by Parliament, and have 

 directed that provisions may be made in the Estimates 

 for 1867-8, to be submitted to Parliament next Session. 

 Their Lordships are desirous, in the meantime, of 

 having a proper inventory of the collection made, and I 

 am, therefore, tO' request that you will inform the First 

 Commissioner what course you propose to take for effecft- 

 ing this object. 



I am, etc., 



Geoege Russell, 



Assistant Secretary. 



J. D. Hooker, Esq., M.D., F.R.S. 



C— Statement by Mr. Bentham. (See p. 7.) 

 {See Question 7205, Vol. I., p. 469.) 



Sir, 25, Wilton Place, S. W. , July 1&72. 



s'ince tho receipt of yours of the 5th instant I have 



procured a sight of the JFirst Report of the Royal Scien- 

 tific Commission and perused the paper handed in by Mr. 

 Carruthers forming the Appendix XV., in which the state- 



*Foot note.— This should have been worded "Botanical correspond- 

 ence, manuscripts, portraits, drawings, &c."— J. D. HoOKlfR. 



