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Now that our provincial museums are yearly increasing in number, it appears desirable to dra f the attention of the provincial scientific societies to their importance as the centres for the private collections illustrative of the local geology, natural history, and archæology which from time to time come into the market. We are entirely indebted to private energy for any British collections which we possess. How lamentable then is it that there is no public system for centralising them in our public museums, and thus saving them from dispersion by their passing into the hands of dealers or private collectors, or into lire possession of foreign or metropolitan museums. Every year witnesses such losses, which are regarded with complete indifference by our local representatives of Science. It is unaccountable that not one of our provincial Societies has as yet had the public spirit, energy, or foresight to see the importance of this work and of raising a fund for the purpose of ultimately securing such collections for the district. |
