Affichage de 18 résultats

To Sir William Jardine

20 [10?] Feb[ruary] 1843

Dear Sir William

Mr. Hodgson [having/has?] given his collection to the British Museum on condition that we allowed Mr Howard to have them to figure and that we gave Mr Hodgson a catalogue of all the specimens he had sent. He gave me directions to procure specimens from the Zoological Society and other places where they might have been deposited and Mr Gould told me that had a bag from Mr Hodgson which he said was sent to you when you were refered to respecting the publication of the [Mr H's] plates and that he felt certain that you regarded them as only deposited with you and that you had them in the bag in your [hall?] still packed up such being the case I consider that I was by the general direction I had received called upon to send to you respecting them. Hoping you will under these circumstances excuse my mistake.

Believe me yours truly

J.E. Gray

To Brian Houghton Hodgson

26 July 1844
Brit. Mus.

My Dear Sir

I am sorry that you did not tell me you intended to send me a preamble or I would have directed the press to have been stoped to insert it when sent, the list was printed off last Friday with the corrections you made when you read the list over here. I don't think its important as very ornithologist of any reputation will duly estimate the value of the list and clearly see that it was prepared so as kindly to over look any errors in the nomenclature any they must be fully aware whenever your numerous and valuable papers have appeared if they are not, their appearance in my estimations would not be worthy of attention. The last was made out with care and verified so I don't see how any species could have been left out. Mr Brother desired Longmans & Co to send you the genera as he understood, you ordered him to do so. If you don't wish to keep it please send it back to him here, as soon as convenient Mr. brother assures me he has not in any way interfered with nor copied any of your [novelties?] nor will he do so without your express permission. The Indian Vulture was figured from a specimen from Bengal given to the Museum by General Hardwicke to which my brother had given a new name but when your list was received, he finding that you had already named it, out of compliment to you he adopted your name instead of his own. I have directed the duplicate specimens of your collection to be packed together into the Boxes. Shall they be sent to you? and what is the best manner of doing so. I know nothing of Mr [Howard] nor of his Proceedings nor of the specimens he has. I shall be detained in town until the end of the month by the marriage of my friend so that if you are ready, I can still come to make the selection
Believe me Dear Sir
Y[ou]rs Very Truly

J.E. Gray

Note
The duplicates amount to almost 860 birds and [20/28] Mammalia
the latter are all in bad condition

Darjeeling 29th April 1847

To J. Forshall
Secy. British Museum
London

My dear Sir

I have duly received the twelve copies of the General Catalogue of the Mammals and Birds of Nepal, founded on my own Catalogues and corrected as to [Synonymes] by Mr Gray, by order of the Trustees of the British Museum wherein are deposited the specimens and Drawings. I request you will convey to the Trustees my sense of the high courtesy that has dictated the printing under their authority of this catalogue separately from the general one of the museum and to add that it shall be mu endeavour by transmitting fresh and superior samples of such specimens and drawings are still defective or missing to make the collection quite complete and this show myself duly sensible of the consideration that has been [?] towards me by this distinguished Patron of science and literature. With regard to the remaining copies of the Catalogue of Nepal Mammals and Birds respecting the disposal of which you consult me. I request that one copy having been sent to each of the public institutions abroad and home to which duplicated of the specimens were transmitted under the auspices of the Trustees, the rest m[a]y be distributed to the most eminent individual cultivators of zoology foreign and English, such as Mr Temminck and J. Cuvier and Geof. St Hilaire and Colonel H. Smith, and Professor Owen and Dr. Falconer and Mr. Yarrel and Mr. Ogilby Secy. Zool. Socty. and Colol Sykes India Director reserving only two copies to be sent to my father B. Hodgson Eqre Canterbury. This Trustees, have already approved the distribution to Institutions and will no doubt excuse the trouble now imposed of distribution to individuals, in consideration of my remote and disabling position. I have only to add the request that each copy distributed m[a]y have inscribed on the flyleaf "With Mr Hodgson's compts"
I remain
My dear Sir
Yours very truly

To the Trustees of the British Museum London

My Lords and Gentlemen
Before my return from India I presented to the British Museum a large series of zoological specimens collected in Nepal in the last [20] years and I at the same time submitted a series of Drawings made under my directions in Nepal. I have brought home with me from India further ample supplies of both specimens and drawings as well as some Memoranda and Notes (diminished unhappily by accidents on the way) relative to the animals collected and delineated. The whole constitutes a large mass of materials procured at great expense for the illustration of the Zoology of Nepal and of Tibet, and it is my wish, while making the British Museum the primary Depositary of these materials to procure its aid in such a disposal and use of them as may most effectively to further the interests of Science both by distribution and by publication. I am however aware of the rules of the British Museum and therefore solicit its counsel and advice upon the following propositions and suggestions which occur to myself.

1. One complete series of specimens (skins) and of drawings to be presented by me to the British Museum which institution shall return to me all duplicates already in its possession and shall appoint an officer to select from my fresh stores at Canterbury such further specimens and drawings as are required for completing its series.
2. The officer above named to give me his aid in selecting from my specimens already in the Museum and at Canterbury further series to be presented, as far as the specimens go. 1st to India House 2nd to Paris Museum 3rd to the Leyden Museum 4th to that of Canterbury 5th to other institutions of Great Britain till the specimens are exhausted
3. The same or other fit officer of the Museum to be appointed to examine with me my Notes and Memoranda as well as drawings with a view to publication if found advisable in such form and with such aid as to the Trustees may seem proper. Meanwhile, no public use to be made of either specimens or drawings without my consent.
4. The series of finished drawings being not quite complete, the museum to appoint some Artist to complete it from the original rough drawings in my possession and from which that series was copied

very little additional work is needed for the end in view

Gents
your ob[edien]t Servant
B.H. Hodgson

In consideration of the donation of these drawings and skins to the British Museum; the collection and preparation of which have been to me a source of very great expense I would respectfully ask the Trustees to give me aid from the public resources at their disposal such aid in the publication of a Fauna of Nepal and Thibet, as they may deem suitable or to recommend to the British Government to give my projected work that support which has recently been so liberally bestowed upon similar labours. Meanwhile no public use to be made of either drawings or specimens
I have the honor to be
My Lords and Gentlemen
Your ob[edien]t Serv.
Signed B.H. Hodgson

P.S. My Zoological collections embrace an extensive osteological series which as not being suitable to the British Museum it is my intention to present to the Royal College of Surgeons with a request of such aid and cooperation as may seem fitting in reference to the objects of the above letter

[Marginalia]

150 species of Mammals
650 of Birds besides fishes, snakes etc

other institutions subsequently specified as Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinbro, Dublin, Plymouth

British Museum

To Brian Houghton Hodgson

29 Jan 1847

My dear Sir

As we are sending some of the copies of the catalogues I take the opportunity of sending you some letters which have been [waiting?] here. I hope the catalogue will be satisfactory to you, there are some points on which we may differ but such differences elicit truth while easy compliances only perpetuate error. I have just had a visit from Mr. Grace who gave me an account of you. I have looked over his skins he has no Mammalia and only three kinds of Birds not in your collection. Blyth appears to have treated him as he did you as he passed Calcutta. Your skeleton(s) has caused us to go on collecting others and now we have three times as many as they have in the College of Surgeons and nearly as many as they have in Paris except in [?]. We are printing a catalogue of them and your specimens will there appear again as they will in my new catalogue of Mammalia and Birds now in the press. You will see by the catalogue what are the desiderata of Skin and Bones but I shall be very glad to receive good fresh skins of each species and they shall be duly stuffed and [protected?] from London dust [?] soon makes new ones requisite and desirable. I shall send you a list of the Drawings but we have not so many hands here as you have in India and these things take time. I should much like to have the Wild Horse and Ass. What is the Kiang? I shall have a fine work on antelopes for you shortly
Ever yours truly

J.E. Gray

VIZ 27 Sheets of fish, snakes, lizards etc. and 6 sheets of bats also a vol of Meerat Mag and 37 Mss descriptions also a new paper on [Murines?] and another on Birds abstract of [?] paper (to Zool Socy) Gray has for correction List of distribution of skins, Bird and Beast and List of Drawings, recent that is, those given to himself and to Gerrard and those first recd from Zool Socy

Original Drawings lent to Gray to look at returned

British Museum
To A. Gunther

20. 7. 1867

My dear Sir

Many thanks for your very kind note which settles the question. I dare say I shall make use of your memoranda in next month's Annals and Mag and send you a proof before it is printed. Shall I send it your present address? In this case do not trouble yourself with a reply to this or to Dursley.

Yours very truly
A. Surtees

Canterbury January 3[r]d 1845

The Trustees of the British Museum

My Lords and Gentlemen
I have this day delivered to the Agent of the Museum at this place the following articles in continuation of the series of drawings and specimens illustrative of the Zoology of Nepal and Tibet already presented to the Museum
Drawings of Animals 15 +
Drawings of Birds 70 = 85

Skins of Mammals 402 +
Skins of Birds 4444 = 4846

Osteological specimens of Mammals 406+
Osteological specimens of Birds 663 = 1069
Grand Total as per details Lists delivered to Mr Gerrard 5996

The osteological Specimens have been added to the others in compliance with a suggestion of the Keeper of the Zoological department after inspection of them, and I believe they will be found of high value not only in helping to determine the important question of the true nature and limits of species, but also in forwarding the great end of natural classification not to speak of the aids they will afford towards [fixing?] the particular species of my large Collection upon a firm basis. I shall be glad to learn that the Trustees ratify the suggestion of their Officer.
This branch of the Collection, like the others, is rich in duplicates of which assuming that the originals are permanently deposited in the Museum, it is my request that one series may be hereafter delivered to the College of Surgeons if desired by that institution.
The drawings now presented, amounting to eighty one constitute the regularly numbered sequel of the series to which they belong (20 inches by 12) and which series they nearly complete. What remains to conclude the set shall be prepared and sent as soon as may be. Meanwhile I recommend that prompt measures be taken by the Museum to secure possession of those which went before them and which having fallen into various hands do not seem to be, all of them, forth-coming as they ought to be. The numbered Catalogues according to wh[ich] these drawings were prepared and despatched from India, will afford a ready clue to the amount of drawings that ought to be forthcoming according to the Catalogues adverted to, the number of Species is as follows -
Mammals of Nepal 126
Birds of Nepal 656
Mammals of Tibet 47
Most of these species were separately delineated and of many of them there were several delineations in this series of drawings, not, to mention the larger series preceding it and which likewise, so far as carried, ought to be forthcoming and has been presented to the Museum

Signed
B.H. Hodgson