^ 24-33 
THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS 
33 
With William Clift, at that time Conservator 
^ the College museum. As assistant to the 
onservator, Owen was engaged at a quarterly 
payment of 30/. Two years later this salary was 
increased to 150/. per annum, but he held the 
position only ‘ during the pleasure of the Board 
tif Curators.’ 
When first appointed Owen found at the 
museum no adequate catalogue of any depart- 
ment, either MS. or printed. 
The patience of the trustees and of the public, 
^hich the promises of Sir Everard Home had 
tried for twenty-five years, had become exhausted. 
Owen s first difficult task, therefore, was to prepare 
^ descriptive catalogue of the collections which 
^d been transferred by Government from John 
unter’s temporary museum in Castle Street 
to the College of Surgeons. This collection, 
^rote Owen in his diary, ‘ consisted of un- 
issected specimens in spirits, the majority of 
^hich had been presented by Mr. (afterwards 
ir Joseph) Banks to John Hunter, who had 
supplied Banks with large stoppered bottles of 
^.cohol, for any soft animals captured during the 
oircumnavigatory voyage of Captain Cook.’ 
On hearing of his appointment as Assistant 
utator, his mother writes to him on March 12, 
t^2 7, from Lancaster, that she Is ‘thankful to 
^ve a son who has been such a credit to his 
3 -rnily, and that she ‘has no doubt but that he 
’^'■OL. I. p 
