THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 
Ill 
1841.] 
man, Dr. H. King, and myself, to whom your letter lias been referred, with autho¬ 
rity to make the necessary arrangements for availing ourselves of your generous 
offer. 
I hasten to convey to you the acknowledgments of the members for this mark of 
the interest you take in the Institution, and to assure you that, in accepting so 
valuable a trust, the Institution duly appreciates the liberality manifested by you 
as one of its members. 
I am requested by the chairman to communicate the above facts to you, and to 
request you to let us know in what manner it will be most agreeable to you that the 
transfer should be made, and upon what conditions. The expenses of the packing 
up and transportation of your cabinet and books will, as a matter of course, be de¬ 
frayed by the Institution. 
I sincerely hope that the Institution may, one day, have the means of purchasing 
your collection, which is understood to be one of the best in France, and will cer¬ 
tainly be by far the most extensive and valuable ever seen in the United States. 
I am, dear sir, with great regard, your friend and servant, 
FRANCIS MARKOE, Jr., 
Corresponding Secretary National Institution. 
F. Castelnau, Esq., New-York. 
New-York, August 7, 1841. 
Dear Sir : On my return to town from a trip in the country, I found your good 
and kind letter, for which I beg to tender my most sincere thanks. It is with great 
pleasure that I learn the Society’s acceptance of my proposal of depositing my ento¬ 
mological cabinet and books among its collections. That cabinet is generally con¬ 
sidered very complete, and I hope it will prove of some interest to those engaged 
in pursuits of natural history. 
The Society’s museum, already valuable, will certainly, at an early day, become 
an object of national pride, and I shall consider myself particularly fortunate if 
soon so situated as to be able to contribute, by further additions in all branches of 
natural history, to its progress and prosperity. 
The Garden of Plants of Paris, the greatest known collection of specimens of 
natural history, began with means in all regards far below those possessed by our 
Institution; may the latter, by its rapid growth, soon overtake its elder sister, and 
prove to the Old World that in sciences, as well as in enterprise, the United States 
fear no competition. 
As to the means of forwarding the collection, I should judge that the most pro¬ 
per would be its deliverance, in Paris, into the hands of the American Consul, who 
would advise the most expedient way of sending it to this country. 
I am, dear sir, with the greatest respect, your friend and obedient servant, 
F. CASTELNAU. 
Note.^—l will also give instructions for my herbarium of European and African 
plants to be added to the other collections. 
Francis Markoe, Jr., Esq., 
Corresponding Secretary of the National Institution . 
