BEITISH MUSEUM AND KEW 381 
the public were never admitted) and where the specimens 
would be arranged for work and not for show. . . . Prox- 
imity to the Zoological Gardens and its live beasts and 
birds is however, I fear, the only pretext that could be offered 
for not accepting the K. Gore offer. 
The real secret of our anxiety is, not that the separation 
from Art at Gt. Eussell Street would be injurious, but that 
we would lack support as a National Museum of Nat. Hist, 
except we huddled our collections under the wing of art. 
This gives our cause a bad look. 
I do truly say that we at Kew do not want the Brit. 
Mus. Herbarium here at any price ; it is no use to us, and 
if it be the means of breaking up the Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist, 
collections, or withdrawing support from them, I shall deeply 
regret its coming here ; but as an honest man I must say 
(with every working Botanist) that it is for the interests of 
IBotanical Science it should come here ; it would take 22 
years and as many thousand pounds to make the B. M. 
Herbarium anything Hke ours here, and there are no men 
to do it. Besides which, a working herbarium cannot be 
kept clean enough to work with in London ; it must, if 
worked with, be exposed for hours daily to dust by great 
portions at a time. 
So far as the Bot. Department is concerned the Trustees 
are in an awful fix, and my opinion being clearly that they 
should clean, poison, and stop adding to the Banksian Herb, 
and the Govt, should take my Father's as the National Herb., 
keep the plants at Kew and increase it so as to keep it as 
far ahead of all others as it now is, I am far too deeply 
personally interested in the matter to take any prominent 
part with decorum. 
I am further for having at the British Museum a Botanical 
collection, illustrating Plant life such as Henslow could best 
plan and develop, and for which perhaps our friend Lindley 
or Henfrey would be a highly qualified keeper. It should 
be as popular as Bentham suggests in every respect, but 
also as scientific in its details and completeness as the most 
profound vegetable Physiologist and Anatomist could wish. 
This would cost little, be very instructive to the Pubhc, and 
useful to men of Science. It would be unique, there would 
be nothing like it in the world. I had often planned such 
