The Natural History Collections

Abstract

I SEE by Galignani, the only newspaper that reaches this high elevation, that a bill has just been introduced into Parliament by Mr. Walpole, and read a second time, to enable the Trustees of the British Museum to move the natural history collections into the new building at South Kensington. Not having before me a copy of the Bill, I cannot say whether it contains any clauses to alter the present mode of government of the natural history collections, but if such be not the case, and it is proposed to leave the new institution at South Kensington under the domination of the Trustees of the British Museum, I can assure Mr. Walpole and his friends that they will cause bitter disappointment to the naturalists of the country by such a course of action. We have always looked forward to the epoch of the removal of the national collections of natural history to the new site as the only opportunity ever likely to arise of making a reform in their government. That a Board of Trustees consisting of the principal Officers of State and great nobles of this country could be abolished was, of course, impossible, but it was hoped that the great men of Bloomsbury would not care to extend their authority to South Kensington. It will not be forgotten that the Royal Commissioners on Science, who went into this question in full detail, came exactly to this conclusion, and recommended that the new museum, when constituted, should be placed under a director immediately responsible to one of the ministers. And there can be no doubt that this should be done, and that the Act which authorises the removal of the collections should give them their new constitution. Our two best scientific institutions in this country—Greenwich Observatory and Kew Gardens—are governed after this fashion, and could never have attained their present standard of excellence under the rule of fifty irresponsible trustees.