1837.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 323 



Independent of the above, Mr. Hodgson of Nlpal sent a series of upwards of 

 eighty well preserved skins of birds, with the intention of their being placed in the 

 Museum, as the originals from which some of the plates of his forthcoming great 

 work have been taken ; but circumstances having rendered it desirable to send 

 them for the examination of a naturalist of eminence in England, they were, on his 

 promising speedily to replace them, delivered over, by directions from the Secretary, 

 for transmission there. 



With regard to the financial arrangements, the Secretary did not think himself 

 empowered to advance for contingencies any sum beyond that voted by the Society. 

 But that sum being nearly absorbed by the salaries of Mr. Bouchez and his 

 nephew, who is employed to assist him, I have paid the remainder of the charges 

 myself; and in this manner expended Co.'s Rs. 138 IS 6, more than I have received. 



A few words may be expected from me as to the future management of the 

 Museum. Much has been urged against expending the funds of the Society for this 

 purpose; and a strong protest on the same side, signed by five Members, has also 

 been given in. So far as my own feelings are in question, I shall be happy to yield 

 to this or any other view of the subject taken by the majority. Although I do not 

 agree with those who think money ill expended, which is expended upon an object 

 that contributes to further the pursuits of any considerable portion of the Society. 

 And my respect for the protest would not have been less had it been signed by the 

 older Members of the Society, instead of by those who had been elected only two 

 or three months before the proceedings took place, against which they thought 

 proper to protest ; who mistook the mere lodgment of money in public securities 

 for a vested fund; and who had not, I believe, any one of them, ever seen the Museum 

 previous to, or since the new arrangements were made f Under these circumstances I 

 am not inclined to allow much weight to the protest, nor to sacrifice our Museum in 

 accordance with the views of the protestors. It is true, a substitute for a Curator 

 has been proposed in a committee, each member of which should undertake a par- 

 ticular department ; and as a body assisting with their advice, and superintending 

 the operations of the Curator, such a committee would be of great service ; but as an 

 executive engine, a committee is always worse than useless, and I anticipate nothing 

 but failure in the scheme. If your Curator is not a paid and responsible officer, you 

 will, in effect, have no Curator at all; and if you have no Curator, you will have no 

 Museum ; while I am sure a Museum is, in the present direction of men's minds to- 

 wards natural history, essential to the well-being, if not even to the existence of the 

 Society. If our own funds cannot support our Museum as it should be supported* 

 we ought to apply to the Goverment to assist us ; when, judging from the liberal 

 views of science taken by the present Governor General, and the anxiety he has 

 evinced to encourage that of natural history in particular ; coupled with the fact 

 that the Court of Directors have ever been the patrons of zoological pursuits ; there 

 is little fear of our making the application in vain. 1 think the advantages of adopt- 

 ing this plan would be great and manifold ; our Museum would be placed on a 

 vigorous and permanent footing ; and be the means of enhancing the prosperity of 

 our institution, and of conferring no light benefit upon the public : while we should 

 soon be able to wipe off the reproach so repeatedly and justly thrown upon the name 

 of Englishmen in the East, — of leaving to distant nations the task and the honor of 

 gleaning in our own field the treasures of natural history, which we ourselves are 



indifferent and too ignorant to reap. 



J. T. Pearson. 



Resolved, that the Report be referred to the Committee of Papers for 



the purpose of drafting such arrangement as the Society's funds may 



permit for the maintenance of the Museum of natural history on the most 



efficient footing. 



