ü 4
ferns—nil rare- Tlius, you perceive, I oiii progressing
contcnu of Uiis rock, nnU in unotlicr yeor or two I liopc t
witli many plates, as Ihey arc the best expositors of the
Now, sir, I should not intrude my purposes upon
literature ns rany cinim the distinction arc devoted ti
debt which my maiden work 1ms fniled to cancel. For
summing up of the most remarkable anti rich
to rest from the labour ; tliat achicwul, I purpose a work on all extinct sauri,
.riginal,
.oa hut for the reason of assuring you that such of my future exertions in
you hcfore-haud, and to acquit my conscience, as fer as is in my power, of tho
icndulione, timely awarded me when you saw my Strand Collection,
s
él
fHII
i i l
tn offered mo, is due whatever of pretension I nt
10 and by yon was I inspired to pursue my oryclologieai disposition,
ilc I rejoice in tJie possession of sucli unique treasure, I feel that 1 am in danger of being crushed, like Torpcia, beneath
■ards of my perseverance and industry; iu fact, the Collection oppresses me by its immensity, and imposes more upon my
extent—you have not seen a fourth part of iL
your Country at the same time. Mr. Bracber told me that you said I
that the Museum oared only for the Sauri. As I do not wish to mnh a
Massuni lime them at a price that you yoursel/shall Jiz upon. I beg
y that my earliest and latest tish Museum, and that I feel your inflaeneo could assure it—thousands
d hail tbc deed.
Permit me. sir, moreover, to declare that
inccd of the great national advantage and honour to be reaped from such
roc, and of your generous disposition to forward whatever is useful
;es, and whatever is patriotic, I sliould not presume
to trespass upon your invaluable time, or thus to iuvoke your help.
THE REV. PROFESSOR BUCKLAND TO THOMAS HAWKINS, ESQ.
Oz/ord. 2*lh June. 1834.
I beg to thank you for your very interesting parcel and letter which I received as I was on the point of leaving Oxford Inst
Thursday, and am happy that my visit to London has afforded me opportunity of seeing persons who may he of service in accomplishing
the abject you have in view, with respect to the disposal of your specimens by placing them in tho British Museum, on payment of such a
price as I should value them at. With respect to this latter point, I beg to inform you that I should willingly consent to be one of two
or more persons to whom sucli a valuation may be referred, hut that I cannot consent to act alone as a single referee in this matter.
If ProfessorSedgwick werenot at this timoin Wales and out of reach, I should have proposed to you that he should be joined wiüi me
both as a referee and as a ])resenter of a memorial to Lord Althorp advising the purchase, but as he is absent and inaccessible, I would
propose to you the name of Mr, Mantell as a person with whom I would consent to act as a joint referee in estimating the value of the
specimens, in case there be a disposition on tho part of Parliament to purchase. The ordinary annual grant to the Museum Is not
aTOilable lo your present purchase. If you consent to the arbitration by myself and Mr. Mantell, I would send a memorial to Lord
Althorp, either direct from myself or through tho medium of the Trustees, to whom 1 shall communicate your proposal of last Tliursday
fortlivvith, as there is no time to be lost, because the last meeting of the Trustees of the Museum will be on Saturday, July 12th. I
shall also write to Mr. Mantell to nsk if he would consent to be joint referee witli mo in case you should approve of Ids having a share
iu the transaction of the valuation. Mr. Bracber told me yesterday he thought you would readily consent to my proposition respecting
-Mr. Mantell, and I had tliea also an opportunity of speaking to him more fully upon this subject.
I will take no further step than that of writing to Mr, Mantell, and some of the Trustees before I hear from you again.
P. S. Mr. König told me he should not be indisposed to purchase also your general collection of Organic Remdns. if the Trustees
and Lord Althorp would consent to do it on the terms proposed in your last letter to me.*
* 1 liavc to explain that this di 5t persevered in .0 the Cl mry political events of the day.
THOM,LS HAWKINS. ESQ. TO THE REV. PROFESSOR BUCKLANDClifford
Street, Bond Street, June 2Slh, 1834.
I received your roost condescending favour this morning, soon after my arrival in town, for which I am exceedingly obliged and
grateful. The zeal you evidence to serve me overpowers me and I beg to coincide with every wish that you express and every
suggestion. I can appreciate the delicate motive which causes you to dechne the proposition made you of being sole referee and I shall
be very happy to associate Mr. Mantell (or any other gentleman you may please to name) with yourself upon this oeonsion. and rest
perfectly content wliatevcr be the result—proud in having my labours numbered and valued by persons so infinitely well calculated to
tbc task. Feeling the importance of this bnaness. which yon so gcncronsly undertake, and convinced that its speedy resolution is of
moment to the honour of our Country and tho interests of science, I liesitate not to place myself entirely at your command, and
lay the better follow your instructions, which I await, anxiously.
HE REV, PROFESSOR BUCKLAND TO THOMAS HAWKINS, E
Oz/ord, 2Glh June, 1834.
1 beg to acknowledge your letter of yesterday and to express my satisfaction at
r. Mantell, inviting him to assist me in the valuarion. and have also written lo four of
ike of Sussex, the Archbishop ot Canterbury, the Bishop of London and Lord Farnborough,—stating ray readiness
OTorial to Lord Althorp, should it meet their approbation-
Whcn any thing further occurs you sliaU hear from me.
contents. I have written this day to
Trustees of the British Museum,—the
THOMAS HAWKINS, ESQ. TO THE REV. PROFESSOR BUCKLANDI
thank you sincerely for your letter
Book on Ichthyosauri, liaving
CUford Street, Bond Street, July 2. 1834.
I June, and beg to repeat how much your exertions in my behalf oblige mo. The
would Lot have posscascd but for your name on the dedicatory page, I cannot but
take the liberty of sending the Literary Gazette, which contains one of the favourable reviews that tlie press Los been pieascd to make.
P. S. I have taken a synopsis* of that part of my Co'Ucction which it were desirable the British Museum Lave, and arranged it so
that its estimation may be effected in two or three hours.
* Much more compreliensivc than the one herewitli printed. Indeed ray original views, though so perseveringly seconded
by the excellent doctor, were infinitely narrowed by the—at least as ri^arded tlicin—untoward events before alluded to.
THE REV. PROFESSOR BUCKLAND 0 THOMAS HAWKINS, E
Oz/ord, itk July. 1834.
I am pleased to find you accede lo my proposal respecting Mr. Mantell- He has exiircssed his readiness to assist in the valuntioa,
but doubts if his engagements will allow him to come to London. Ho says he has seen most of the specimens, and can judge of all by
the admirable engravings in your book. I hod a letter yesterday from Mr. Forshell, stating that ho has seen some of the Trustees, and
that they seem willing to apply to the Treasury for a special grant of money, if they receive from myself nnd other competent judges
recommendations and testimonials of sulBcient weight to justify their application.
I have therefore written to Mr. Conybeare, Mr. De In Beche, Mr. Mantell, and Mr. CUff, desiring them each to send immediately
to Mr. Forshell their separate memorial to the Trustees, slating as strongly ns they can do tlicir opinion of tlie importance of your
Collection as an accession to tho British Museum. The Trustees will forward these testimonials to the Lords of the Treasury as the
ground of their application; and I have written to Lord Althorp to inform him of the present state of the business, and prepare him for
the application from the Trustees.
I fear it will be impossible to get any testimonials from Professor Sedgcwick, as he is, nobody knows where, among the moirafslv.
ly address.
of North Wales, and this I much regret; but I have written to him at Cambridge a letter to be forwarded if I
Can you suggest any other persons besides those I liavc nnmed to whom I could apply for testimonials ?
Have you seen Mr. König lately, or learned from him whether he wishes to have your general Collection of Organic Remains
* Intention deferred, as before remarked.
THOMAS HAWKINS. ESQ. TO THE REV, PROFESSOR BUCKLAND.
CUford Street, July 5th. 1834.
I ventured to appeal to you for assistance in the case of my CoUeetion as the first authority—tlie most powerful Achates of Geology.
And as no motive but a sense of the interests of learning and the honour of our Conntry could influence you, I felt that your exertions
would be in strict relation with the object in view. But tbc trouble you liave bceu caused! I did not dream of it ; I liad no idea of tlie
pains necessary for the accomplishment of this purpose, and now that I am acquainted therewith I must cease thanks and confessions of
obhgations, as Uicy exceed nil that I can express, and hope that the satisfacUon of having done mankind a good deed will, indeed,
recompense you for your generous labours and sacrifices.
Blit permit me to observe that I would that you had. yourself, alone, determined the money part as woU as the rest of the question,
although I must defer to the judicious—tlie delicate motive that induced you to decline doing so;—nnd to add that I have so nrraiiged
that portion of my Collection purposed for the Museum that you nnd Mr, MnnteU could arrive at an estimate hi one hour, which I am
sure Mr. MaiitcU would spare for such nn occasion ;- I F any variation of opinion about price happen between you, lot that difference bo
split as the commercial world nervously calls it.—for how much debstc and inconvenience loss of time, &c. the presence of a third
party would occasion. In truth, my ark, my idol, is in YOUR hands: you arc its most efficient keeper, and to nominate another would
ho unnecessary, and as humiliating to me as two co-tcmporaneons liigh-priesU to the Jews. Besides I shaU from time to time moke
such additions (perhaps by way of donation to the British Museum) to the Collection as will—am I rash ?—transmit my name with
your's—the founder, the real founder of the Collection there—to posterity.
P.S. I have an immense correspondence throughout England, but very—very—very few persons have seen any ¡art of my
Collection but those in the Adelaide Gallery, "ns notorious that my Collection is fine because you and the dozen other savans that liavc
seen a part of it say so. Tlierefore I could not with a clear consoienoo appeal for the memorials you mention ; if I may he allowed. I
would say that the President of tho Geological Society, as President, were a desirable acquisition, but as from my deafness I cannot talk
at the moctiiigs, and otlier causes. I do not know him (the then President) sufficiently to beg a favour.
THE REV. PROFESSOR BUCKLAND TO THOMAS 1IAWIÜNS, ESQ.
oniols respecting your Collection, an
Oz/ord. 8th July, 1834-
ly them before the meeting of