222 London Museum—M. Labillardiere’s Explanation. [Oct. ¥j 
To the Editor-of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ERMIT me through your excellent 
publication to acknowledge my ob- 
hgations to Mr. Donovan for the advan- 
tages I have derived in my enquiries, re- 
specting the mineralised remains of the 
animals of the former world, from the 
examination of the iestimable fossils, 
contained in his matchless Museum. 
By the investigations which I had pre- 
‘viously made, and from specimens in my 
ewn collection, I had ascertained that 
England alone yielded several species of 
Encrinites, as [ trust I shail shew in the 
second volume of *f Qrganic Remains of 
the Former World,” now in the press. 
But by an examination of the series of 
fossils in this department of the London 
Museum, as above-mentioned, I have 
gained the knowledge that our own 
country can boast of yielding at least one 
additional curious species of this animal, 
hitherto, I believe, unknown, and forming 
by the length of the arms an intermediate 
species between the Lily and Plumose 
Encrinus. The specimen of which I 
speak is numbered, No. 924, in the brief 
catalogue which is delivered at the Mu- 
seum. 
From another specimen in the same 
collection, marked No. 950, I also ac- 
knowledge having derived very consider- 
able information respecting the structure 
of that wonderful, lost animal, the Tor- 
toise Encrinus. : 
Having no reason fer concealing any 
of the motives which induce me to trou- 
ble you with this request, I do not hesi- 
tate to avow that one of these is a wish 
to call the attention of the curious, as 
well as scientific, to the most complete 
collection of British Natural History, 
which bas ever yet been formed; a Mu- 
seum, not confined to any one particular 
branch, but comprehending alike the 
three great departments of nature, the 
Zoological, Botanical, and Mineral Pro- 
ductions of the Island, upon the grandest 
scale possible. It will not be too much 
tosay that this Museum, trom the science 
evinced in its arrangement, independent 
of its importance as a collection cf choice 
and valuable specimens, must, to those 
desirous of such knowledge, prove a most 
instructive school, and afferd an inex- 
haustible fund of formation to all these 
who think the Natural Histery of their 
own country worth attending to. 
Hoxion-square, You's, &ce. | 
_ Sept. 6, 1804. J. PARKINSON, 
Fo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
_ SIR, 
bh hare: Editors of the Annals of Botany 
having discontinued that Journal, 
will be obliged to you to insert the fol- 
lowing translation of «a letter they have 
lately received from M. Labillardiere, of 
the National Institute of France, as they 
wish to give as much publicity as possible 
to the defence of a gentleman, for whom 
they never felt for a moment orher than 
the highest respect; the apparent accu- 
sation of ingratitude not being meant by 
them so much to apply to him personally, 
@s to shew the state of the public mind 
at Paris at the time. The paragraph al- 
luded to in his letter is as follows. 
“In the Preface to the first number, 
the author expresses his gratitude to two 
gentlemen who have been instrumental 
to the publication of his work. ‘ His 
evulgatis, &c,.’ Time and circumstances 
probably prevented Mr. Labiliardiere 
from making the acknowledgments that 
were due in another quarter; for we 
know that both for the appearance of 
the Journal of his Veyage, and whatever 
has hitherto resulted from the scientific 
researches made on that expedition, the 
public are entirely indebted to the dis- 
interested liberality of the president of 
the Royal Society, who, having obtained 
possession of the effects of the author, 
that had fallen by the chance of war into 
the hands of the English, soon after Gn 
1791) transmitted the whole collection, 
consisting of more than twenty large 
cases, to the original owner in Paris.” 
The foilowing is the letter above al- 
luded to, from M. Labillardiere to 
Messrs. Konig and Sims. 
Paris, June 16, 1807. 
Gentlemen—In your acceunt of my 
work on the plants of New Holland, pub- . 
lished in your Annals of Botany, vol. ii. 
p- 368, you have given an interpretation 
of a passage in the Preface to that work, 
so very foreign to the meaning that I 
should have supposed a careful perusal 
of it would have conveyed, that I have 
the honour to address to you my expla- 
nation. The passage here alluded te ts 
as follows: “ His evulgatis, siguid donz 
consequitur in scientia emolumentum, non 
taceam prodita hac non fuissent 2m lucem, se 
mihi defecissent beneficia illustrissimi D. 
Chaptal, dum eret minister rerum inter 
narum, eminentissimigue D, de Cham- 
pagny, ejusdem successoris.” ‘The-whole — 
meaning of this passage is, that it would 
have been impossible for me to have un= 
dertaken, 
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