1841.] Asiatic Society 4 65 



II. — Inquiry for various collections supposed to have been detained at the Society's 

 Rooms, especially those of Dr. Helfer and Capt. Pemberton. 



My report on Dr. Helfer's collection will I trust have satisfactorily shewn that, 

 with respect to them, the Society is exonerated from all blame. I omitted in it 

 to refer to the Entomological part. On careful inquiry, I find that no collection of 

 insects was, at any time, deposited at the Society's Rooms by Dr. Helfer. Speci- 

 mens of the moth cocoon, &c. of the Assam silk worms, were only presented by him to 

 illustrate his paper on that subject. 



With reference to Capt. Pemberton's collection, you will not fail to remark, 

 that the collections referred to in those passages of the proceedings quoted in the 

 Honourable the Court's letter, are collections placed "in deposit" only, and conse- 

 quently, I shall infer, held by the Society at the disposition of the depositor, who evi- 

 dently by his letter, at p. 749 of the Journal, is there disposing of them ; since he 

 says, that " under instructions from Government he presents to the Society 145 spe- 

 cimens of birds, a selection from the Bootan collection, &c." 



Further: The collections deposited by Captain Pemberton were packed at the 

 Museum, and in February 1840 sent to the Marine Board, for shipment to England, in 

 four cases. Upon reference to Mr. Greenlaw, who has kindly referred to the agents 

 of the Shepherdess, the vessel on which the cases were shipped, I learn that she did not 

 arrive in England till the month of December; the Honourable Court's letter, it will 

 be observed, bears date the 16th September 1840. 



This is what I have been able to ascertain from the assistants and taxidermists 

 at the Museum, and from Capt. Pemberton's official letter ; in addition to which 

 I may state, that from the description of the assistants, the four cases were about equal 

 to half or three-quarters of a ton of measurement. Mr. Greenlaw has no knowledge 

 of their size, as freight was to be paid at home. 



I have referred to Dr. McClelland, who has furnished me with Mr. Green- 

 law's receipt, but he has not replied to my official letter, of which copy is hereto an* 

 nexed. He however informs me in a private note as follows : — 



" The duplicates only, as far as I recollect of the Bootan collection, were sent to the 

 Court of Directors. A complete series was kept with the Society, particularly of 

 the insects ; the rest I forwarded myself through the Government on the part of the 

 Bootan deputation." 



There is some discrepancy here, which I cannot reconcile with Capt. Pember- 

 ton's letter quoted above ; but as my knowledge stops at this point, I must leave 

 it for your consideration. 



Of the insects, there are none in the Society's collection noted as from the 

 Bootan deputation. The assistants state, that they have no recollection of any 

 collection having been received at the Museum for the Society as from Capt. 

 Pemberton, or from the Bootan deputation; nor can I find any in their book, 

 which however, is not very carefully kept The insects referred to by Dr. 

 McClelland, may possibly be those which have no donor's names annexed to 

 them in our cases. On my assuming charge of the Museum, I found a tin box of 

 insects in the taxidermists' room, of which they were taking great care, and their 

 account of it was, that Capt. Pemberton had brought two such boxes to the 

 i Museum ; one of which they packed, and he himself sent it away, for tlfc Court 



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