420 Observations on the [May, 



which, having overcome, he should not have allowed to retain such 

 influence over his report, as to induce him to conceal the names of 

 those, his predecessors, he thought fit to censure. For my part, I wish 

 he had been more explicit, both for his own sake and for mine ; for 

 hints and insinuations are difficult for me to deal with ; while they 

 leave him open to a suspicion of being one of those who are 



" Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike ;" 

 " Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike" — 



a character, which I should be very sorry did I really think him to 

 merit. 



However lest I should be accused of appropriating to myself blame 

 intended for another, conscious of deserving it ; I must refer to what 

 was said by Dr. M'Clelland (from whom of all men I least expected 

 an attack) at a late meeting of the Society. Dr. Jameson might easily 

 err from ignorance ; Dr. M'Clelland could scarcely do so ; — the former 

 possibly never heard much more of me than my name, still less the 

 precise part I took in the management of the Museum ; the latter was 

 aware I was one of those predecessors of Dr. Jameson he took pre- 

 cedence to censure* ; though, as he did not know the state of the 

 collection of Natural History when I took charge (for I believe he had 

 at that time never seen it) I know not how he can justify his bold 

 comparison. 



Dr. Jameson first notices the " minerals'" and " rocks" and comments 

 in severe terms upon the state in which he found, and left them. 

 With this I have nothing to do. The mineralogical and geological 

 (organic and inorganic) departments were never committed to my care. 

 Mr. James Prinsep kept them in his own hands ; and, in justice to 

 him, I beg to say, that although from want of cabinets he could not 

 arrange them ; there was, so far as I remember, none of that confusion 

 and damage Dr. Jameson so forcibly bewails. Certainly they were 

 packed in drawers, but they were well known to Mr. Prinsep. I 

 believe most, if not all of consequence, of them, were labelled ; and the 

 destruction spoken of is far more likely to have happened in their trans- 

 mission to the Society, than in their quiet dormitories in the Society's 

 rooms. At all events, as aforesaid, I had nothing to do with the 

 mineralogy, nor geology either. f The zoology was my branch of the 



* Sic. in M. S.— Eds. 



f I do not know the arrangements made with Mr. Evans ; but I believe he had 

 charge only of the zoological part of the Museum, and consequently was as innocent of 

 the mismanagement (if any) of the "minerals and rocks" as myself. I think this 

 due to an absent man. Lieut. Kittoe's proceedings I know still less of; but he, as well 

 as the Museum Committee, are here to answer for themselves. 



