14 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. I. 



the letter was the impending appointment of 

 Signor Panizzi to the post of Secretary and Prin- 

 cipal Librarian to the Museum. " I am glad of 

 this," writes Macaulay, "both on public and 

 private grounds. Yet I fear that the appoint- 

 ment will be unpopular both within and without 

 the Museum. There is a growing jealousy 

 among men of science which, between ourselves, 

 appears even at the Board of Trustees. There 

 is a notion that the Department of Natural 

 History is neglected, and that the library and the 

 sculpture galleries are unduly favoured. This 

 feeling will certainly not be allayed by the 

 appointment of Panizzi, whose great object, 

 during many years, has been to make our library 

 the best in Europe, and who would at any time 

 give three mammoths for an Aldus." 



Macaulay then went on to propose that, 

 simultaneously with Signor Panizzi's nomination 

 to the secretaryship, Professor Owen should be 

 constituted Superintendent of the whole Depart- 

 ment of Natural History, including geology, 

 zoology, botany, and mineralogy. ' I cannot but 

 think,' he says, ' that this arrangement would be 

 beneficial in the highest degree to the Museum. 

 I am sure it would be popular. I must add that 

 I am extremely desirous that something should 

 be done for Owen. I hardly know him to speak 

 to. His pursuits are not mine ; but his fame is 

 spread over Europe. He is an honour to our 



