1846-47 NATIONAL MUSEUM PROPOSED 273 



brought up to the present state of comparative 

 anatomy, so as to fulfil the objects and merit 

 the character of the natural exposition of those 

 works of the Creator which are the subjects of 

 that science. 



' Should the Trustees deem the subject one 

 worthy the attention of Government and meriting 

 a repetition of the aid it formerly received, the 

 following are the dates and sums voted for the 

 establishment of the actual museum : — 



'In 1799 Parliament voted 15,000/. for the 

 purchase of the Hunterian Collection of Compa- 

 rative Anatomy. 



' In 1806 Parliament voted a further sum of 

 15,000/., in aid of the erection of an edifice for its 

 proper display and arrangement. 



1 In 1808 or 9 a third grant, of 12,500/., was 

 voted in aid of the completion of that edifice. 



1 Since that period comparative anatomy 

 has received no further pecuniary aid from the 

 State. 



' The experience of the last six years has 

 convinced me that a national collection of the 

 organic mechanism of animals (if the Hunterian 

 Museum is to represent and fulfil the purposes 

 of such collection) can only keep pace with the 

 science, and with the required applications of such 

 museum to physiology, zoology, and geology, 

 by the aid of an annual grant from Government 

 analogous to that which has been made in aid of 



vol. 1. T 



