SECOND FLOOK. 
63 
gallery. The classification is that used by Bentham in his 
* Handbook of the British Flora/ and his descriptions are 
attached as labels to each plant. Three series of frames contain 
specimens of all the British Vascular Plants. The fourth frame 
is occupied with a complete series of the Mosses, and forms the 
beginning of the exhibition of Cellular Plants. 
The portion devoted to the use of the scientific student con- Herbarium, 
sists mainly of the great Herbarium. This is a collection of 
plants, fastened on single sheets of folio paper, representing, as 
far as it has been possible to obtain them, first, every species of 
plant living on the earth, and then the distribution of each 
species on the surface of the earth. The various species are 
collected under their respective genera, and these are ar- 
ranged in their Natural Orders ; the whole are systematically 
classified, beginning with the most highly organised (the 
Banunculacem), and going down to the lowest members of the 
Vegetable Kingdom (the Fungi). 
The foundation of this great Herbarium was the collection of Historical 
Sir Joseph Banks, consisting of the plants obtained by himself ^^^^3^°^^ ^ 
and Dr. Solander in their voyage round the world with Captain barium. 
Cook, and of numerous series from all quarters of the globe 
presented to him or purchased by him. He bequeathed all his |^j^°g^®^^ 
botanical collections to the Trustees of the British Museum in 
1820, reserving to Kobert Brown, in whose charge they had 
been for years, the use of them during his lifetime. Mr. Brown 
transferred them to the Trustees of the Museum in 1827, and 
was appointed the first Keeper of the Department. The yearly 
additions since 1827 have been so extensive that the Banksian 
Collections form now but a small proportion of the whole 
Herbarium. In a brief notice it is impossible to give a correct 
idea of the richness of this Herbarium. Among the principal 
collections contained in it may be mentioned those of Clayton, 
Eoemer, Miller, Brown, Bowie and Cunningham, Gardner, 
Nuttall, Horsfield, Konig, Martin, Masson, Wilson, Hampe, 
Broome, Seemann, Welwitsch, Salt, Miers, Hance, and Triana. 
It includes also authentic specimens received from Loureiro, 
Gronovius, Tournefort, Jacquin, Aublet, Euiz and Pavon, Per- 
rottet, and many others. 
There is a separate Herbarium of British plants, based on the 
