[B.] 



PETITION. 



To the Honorable the Senate and the House of Representatives in General 

 Court assembled. 



The petition of the Trustees of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, a corporation established by Act of the Legislature of 

 April 5, 1859, respectfully represents, that the main purpose for 

 which said Act was passed was to establish a body corporate, with 

 power to receive, hold and possess real and personal property, not 

 exceeding the sum of three hundred thousand dollars, for the erec- 

 tion, support and maintenance of a M Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology," at Cambridge ; that since the passage of said Act, a 

 large amount of property has been raised, by contributions and 

 otherwise, for the use and benefit of said Museum, consisting of 

 money, real estate and buildings, and of specimens and collections 

 in natural history, all which are now held in trust by said Trustees, 

 for the uses and purposes set forth and declared in said Act ; 

 that in addition to the property so held by said Trustees in trust, 

 there has also been raised by general contribution other large 

 sums of money and property, which have been given to, and are 

 now owned and held in trust by, the President and Fellows of Har- 

 vard College for like purposes as those declared in said Act, to be 

 used, expended and appropriated for the benefit and support of said 

 Museum ; that the result and effect of the creation and establish- 

 ment of the trusts above set forth, is, that the property designed for 

 the maintenance and support of said Museum of Comparative Zool- 

 ogy, instead of being placed in the management and control of one 

 corporation, clothed with necessary power to provide for all its 

 wants, and to administer its affairs with a single e} T e to the success 

 of the particular department of science and instruction which it was 

 intended to found and promote, is now vested in two distinct cor- 

 porate bodies, part being held by the corporate bod}' which your 

 petitioners compose, called the " Trustees of the Museum," and 

 part by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. 

 5 



