scholarly journals John Strange, F. R. S., 1732 - 1799

1951 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-108 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Title Page ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
National Biography

In the Dictionary of National Biography , John Strange is described as a diplomatist and author, as indeed he was ; for in 1773 he was appointed British Minister Resident at Venice, and he published a number of works, mostly devoted to archaeology and geology. For his contributions to the former of these subjects, he was rewarded by his election to Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries, just as, for the latter, he was elected into the Fellowship of the Royal Society.1 It does not appear to be recognized, however, how important and accurate, and how far in advance of their time, were his contributions to Geology, nor should I have known of them had it not been for copies of manuscript unpublished letters of his in the British Museum (Natural History), and for a printed book in my own private collection bearing copious marginal notes by Strange. This is a copy of Description des Montagnes et des Vallées de la Principauté de Neuchatel et Valangin , Neuchatel, 1766, of which the anonymous author was Samuel-Frédéric d’Ostervald, 2 banneret of Neuchâtel. The title-page bears in ink the words ‘ with Mr. Strange’s marginal notes ’, and the flyleaf,‘ Dec. 5, 1856 Presented to me by Professor J. H. Marsden of Great Oakley nr Harwich. A. Sedgwick.’ The notes were clearly written by Strange during the course of a journey made to the places described in the book.

III.—A Synopsis of the Remains of Ganoid Fishes from the Cambridge Greensand

1895 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Smith Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Present Writer ◽  
The Past ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
Definition Of

The remains of fishes discovered in the Cambridge Greensand are all very fragmentary, and have not hitherto been subjected to the detailed comparison with other Cretaceous Ichthyolites which their interesting stratigraphical position renders desirable. Many specimens, however, are capable of at least generic determination, while many others are sufficiently characteristic fragments for the definition of the species. The present writer has thus been much interested during the past few years in studying collections of these fossils, and the following notes embody some of the results in reference to the ganoid fishes. The British Museum (Natural History) having recently acquired the collection made from the Cambridge Greensand by Mr. Thomas Jesson, F.G.S., nearly all the known species are now represented here; but the writer has also availed himself of the privilege of making use of the fine series in the Woodwardian Museum, Cambridge, and the Philosophical Society's Museum, York, thanks to the kindness of Professor McKenny Hughes, Mr. Henry Woods, and Mr. H. M. Platnauer. Mr. James Carter, M.R.C.S., has also kindly lent some Pycnodont jaws from his private collection

Richard Bradley's Relationship With Sir Hans Sloane

1970 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-77 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Prolific Author ◽  
Good Picture ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
University Of Cambridge ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University

Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) is remembered more for his activities in the spheres of science and medicine than for his original contributions to these fields. His large treatise on the natural history of Jamaica (2 vols., 1707- 1725) and other writings were useful additions to the scientific literature, but they were overshadowed by his activities as President of both the Royal Society (1727-1741) and the Royal College of Physicians (1719-1735) and by his having provided the collections which became the foundation of the British Museum. There is no definitive study on him, but the two recent biographies by De Beer and Brooks provide a good picture of his life and work (1). Sloane carried on a voluminous correspondence, and most of the letters written to him are preserved in the British Museum—largely unpublished (2). Among them are a dozen letters from Richard Bradley (1688?—5 November 1732), which throw somewhat more light on Bradley than on Sloane. They also illustrate the adverse conditions under which men without wealth have sometimes worked when pursuing scientific activities. Bradley was a prolific author of books on agriculture, horticulture, biology, and medicine. As will appear from his letters, he was often the pawn of booksellers, and John Martyn (1699-1768), his malicious rival, commented shortly after his death that ‘The booksellers have lost a good easy pad’ (3). Bradley was at times only a popularizer or a hack, but he also produced writings having scientific merit (4). Furthermore, he was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the first Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge. His correspondence with Sloane is therefore of interest for adding to our knowledge of both men and the scientific activities of their time.

Gideon Mantell and the Maidstone Iguanodon

1951 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-276 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Original Description ◽  
The South ◽  
Gideon Mantell

The name Iguanodon was first given publication in a letter from Gideon Mantell, F.R.S., to his friend Davies Gilbert, M.P., V.P.R.S., 1 printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1825. 2 The specimens upon which this name was founded were more or less worn teeth which Mrs Mantell had collected in the spring of 1822. Some of these teeth are referred to in The Fossils o f the South Downs , 3 published in May 1822, as being of ‘unknown animals.’ This suggests that the teeth were found early in the year as stated by Mantell and not in the summer as has been published by Sidney Spokes. 4 Most of the teeth found by Mrs Mantell and figured in 1825 have been reddentified in the collections of the British Museum (Natural History) and are now on exhibition in the Geological Department of the Museum. Examination shows that those which are specifically identifiable are all referable to the species subsequently named Iguanodon mantelli . A t their original description no specific name was, however, applied, and it is open to serious question whether the name , derived from the similarity of the teeth and those of the living Iguana , was ever valid. This would seem an instance in which the mercies of the International Commission’s rule 46 might well be held to apply, to keep in use an ancient and much-used name.

scholarly journals VII. On parts of the skeleton of meiolania platyceps (Ow.)

1888 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Fossil Bones ◽  
Extinct Genus ◽  
Osseous Structure

Since my last communication to the Royal Society (March 15, 1886) of the characters of some fossil bones of a Meiolania from Lord Howe’s Island, I have been favoured with the opportunity of inspecting a second and richer series of remains of the same extinct genus of Reptile from the same island and formation. These fossils have been liberally transmitted by Charles Wilkinson, Esq., F. G. S., F. L. S., Government Geologist of the Department of Mines, Sydney, to the Geological Department of the British Museum of Natural History, and have been confided by the Keeper, Dr. Woodward, F. R. S., for their development from the matrix, to Mr. Richard Hall, Assistant Mason in that Department, whose name deserves to be recorded for the patient devotion and admirable skill with which he has brought to light the manifold and complex evidences of osseous structure, especially of the cranial and some vertebral parts of the petrified skeletons of the present singular genus of extinct Reptile.

scholarly journals XIV. Description of fossil remains of two species of a genus (Meiolania) from "Lord Howe's Island."

1886 ◽  
Vol 177 ◽  
pp. 471-480 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Fossil Remains ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Government

In 1884 I was favoured by Dr. Woodward, F. R. S., F. G. S., with the inspection of a series of fossil remains from “Lord Howe’s Island,” which had been transmitted by the Government of New South Wales (Department of Mines) to the Department of Geology in the British Museum of Natural History. These fossils indicated a Saurian Reptile allied to the genus, characters of which are described and figured in the 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society’ for the years 1858, 1880, and 1881.

Some letters of Sir Charles Blagden

1951 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
Kind Permission ◽  
The One

In a footnote to the extract from the Diary of Sir Charles Blagden which appeared in previous pages of this volume, 1 it was explained that the portion of the Diary for the year 1788 in the Society’s possession is incomplete, and it was surmised that Blagden had been to Geneva in that year. The gap can fortunately be filled, however, and the story of Blagden’s relations with the men of science at Geneva can be completed, by means of the copies of the correspondence of Sir Joseph Banks in the Library of the British Museum (Natural History). The original autograph letters of the Banksian correspondence were dispersed many years ago, but the manuscript copies preserved in the Museum provide a precious guide to the activities and interests not only of Sir Joseph Banks, P.R.S., but also of Sir Charles Blagden, Sec.R.S., whose many letters almost take the form of reports from the Secretary to the President of the Royal Society. By way of confirmation of what was surmised in the previous notes, and by kind permission of the Trustees, extracts are given below of some letters from Blagden to Banks, dated 9 August and 14 September 1788. They will be found to contain unexpected information about Queen Victoria’s father, Mr Woodley, and Charles James Fox. In addition, the transcription is given of a letter from Blagden to Banks of 5 September 1792, written during the course of the journey described in the extract from the Diary that appears above. This letter is the one referred to on page 83 : ‘ Sent letter to Sir Joseph Banks.’ Its interest lies not only in the account of the dangers through which Blagden passed on leaving Paris, but also in the information which it contains to the effect that Schmuck’s experiments were, after all, inspired by those of Galvani, as suspected in footnote 32, page 71. There are also interesting references to Huber’s work on Bees, Charles Bonnet’s state of health and Thomas Whaley’s accident.

scholarly journals X. The hyoid and larynx of the Anura

1932 ◽  
Vol 222 (483-493) ◽  
pp. 401-527 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
King's College ◽  
Spare Time ◽  
Research Scholar ◽  
Government Grant ◽  
First Time

FOREWORD. Some years ago Dr. Tate Regan suggested to me that a study of the hyoid region of the tailless Amphibia would be of value. This paper is the outcome of that suggestion. It was begun when I was Gilchrist Research Scholar in Zoology at King’s College of Household and Social Science (1 9 2 5 -2 6 and 1 9 2 7 -2 8 ), working under Dr. P . C. Esdaile, to whom I am very grateful for her help during my two and a half years in her department. At this time I was also assisted by a Government Grant from the Royal Society. Since March, 1 9 2 8 ,1 have held a post at the British Museum (Natural History), and the work on frogs has been relegated to spare time. My main purpose has been to discover and make known the structures of the hyolaryngeal apparatus in a large and representative series of the Anura, in order that an idea may be gained of the range of diversity of these organs in the group, and of the extent to which resemblances in their structure are indicative of relationship. In all, I have studied sixty species, belonging to thirty-six genera ; in fifty of these species and twenty-three of the genera the larynx is now described for the first time.

Entomostraca of Aldabra, with special reference to the genus Heterocypris (Crustacea, Ostracoda)

1971 ◽  
Vol 260 (836) ◽  
pp. 257-297 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Royal Society ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Personal Communication

The German geographer Voeltzkow, although he only spent something over a month on Aldabra during April to May 1895, made the first known collection of Entomostraca from the atoll. His lively account includes mention of four species of Ostracoda and also records the occurrence of daphnid cladocerans (Voeltzkow 1897, p. 67; English translation p. 21). Voeltzkow’s collection was described by G. W. Muller, who added another ostracode, a Centrocypris species which he did not describe because of scanty material, to Voeltzkow’s list (Muller 1898, pp. 275- 283). Ostracodes and cladocerans were also recorded by the Bristol University expeditions of 1964 and 1965 but not collected (R. Gaymer, personal communication 1967). The next additions to the known fauna were made by G. A. Wright of the British Museum (Natural History) who cultured ostracodes, an anostracan, Streptocephalus sp. and the conchostracan, Eulimnadia sp., from mud samples obtained during a September 1966 reconnaissance visit (Stoddart & Wright 1967, p. 1175). Further collections of dried mud from Aldabra were made by J. F. Peake of the British Museum (Natural History) during phase I (August to September 1967) of the Royal Society Expedition to Aldabra. One of these, from a pool between Croix Blanc and Anse Cèdres (the locality of sample 8, see appendix A) has been cultured since 5 December 1967 (see §8 ( d )).

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