1846-47 COMBINATION OF COLLECTIONS 281 
dead, exterior, and anatomical — in one great con- 
nected establishment. 
‘ All the recent and fossil zoology of the British 
Museum would come to this. The mineralogy 
would naturally be transferred to the Government 
Museum of Economic Geology, soon, I hope, to 
develop itself into our National School of Mines. 
The British Museum would then be left free for the 
full extension of the departments which concern 
intellectual man. But I fear I have trespassed 
already too far on your patience ; any further 
information I may be able to give will be most 
readily at your service, and I remain, dear Lord 
Francis, very faithfully yours, 
‘ Richard Owen.’ 
Owen had one or two interviews with the Pre- 
mier with regard to this scheme. ‘On March 29 
P. went by appointment to Sir Robert Peel’s, 
in order to impress upon him the necessity of 
the College having Government help if they are 
to carry on the thing properly, or else that the 
Collection should be made part of a great whole. 
He says the Premier looks terribly overworked.’ 
A visit to Dr. Buckland in his new residence 
^ts Dean of Westminster is thus described : ‘ We 
found the Doctor almost lost amidst heaps of 
f>oxes, packages, and lumber — the. children 
delighted with the move. The Deanery is a 
ciark, rambling place. R. raced about after the 
