1872-82 MELBOURNE EXHIBITION COMMISSION 241 



manner worthy of the greatest commercial and 

 colonial empire of the world.' 



Writing on the same subject to Dr. Pearson. 

 Langshaw, December 21, 1879, he says: — 



( I nurse my old chronic " bronchitis " by the 

 fireside, whenever I can, hoping still to survive 

 the arrangement in systematic order of the 

 national treasures of natural history in their 

 noble new building. But the halter of an Affghan 

 is a costly affair ; so is a bullet in the body 

 of a Zulu. Mr. Robert Lowe let the " tail 

 of the cat" out of the bag, when he told the 

 public that the sum for the purchase of books for 

 the National Library had been cut down. If he 

 had let out the " whole animal," he would have 

 dealt a better blow. " We cannot afford the 

 furniture," &c, &c. ! and the prospect of getting 

 in, even in 1881, is poor, unless we have a 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer who will lay on a 

 is. or is. 6d. in the pound income tax, and pay 

 the debts of the year within the year like decent, 

 honest people.' 



In 1879 a fitting tribute was paid to a man 

 who had been an active member of the Com- 

 mission for the first Great Exhibition. Nearly 

 thirty years had elapsed between that appoint- 

 ment and Owen's nomination to be a Member 

 of the Royal Commission for the British Section 

 of the International Exhibition of Melbourne, 

 1880. 



VOL. II. R 



