34 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. n. 



the recommendations, save the final one (lecture- 

 theatre) of my report of 1859. The theatre 

 was erased from my plan, and the elementary 

 courses of lecturing remain for the future.' 



In communicating this report to Parliament, 

 Professor Owen felt that he was addressing 

 representatives of the greatest commercial and 

 colonising nation on the globe, and that such a 

 nation and empire might well be expected by 

 the rest of the civilised world to offer to students 

 and lovers of natural history the best and noblest 

 museum for the illustration of this great division 

 of general science. 



But for such a museum a site of not less than 

 eight acres was required. The effect of restrict- 

 ing the site to the space, for example, on which 

 the Museum at Bloomsbury stands was signifi- 

 cantly demonstrative of difficulties to come, and 

 Owen pointed to the wisdom which would be 

 manifested by securing, in a rapidly growing 

 metropolis, adequate space for future additions 

 to the building which might be in the first place 

 erected upon it. 



One or two of his intimate and confidential 

 friends dissuaded him from sending in his report. 

 They urged that it might be misconstrued, or 

 ' interpreted as exemplifying a character prone to 

 inconsiderate and extravagant views,' and might 

 even lead to disagreeable personal consequences. 

 They further argued that the extended space for 



