The Portland daily press., 1869-04-07
Per.lana seclesy Of Na.ural I1l.ssrr.


which Portland is justly proud it would be
difficult to find one possessing higher claims to
the popular interest and appreciation than the
Society of Natural History. The energy,
courage and perseverance which this associa-
tion has exhibited in the face of repeated aud
apparently overwhelming misfortunes, are all
the more admirable as the objects which it has
in view are not of a kind to call out the need
of general popular applause, and the patient
industry of its working members has no stim-
ulus but the pure love of scientific investiga-
ton. But labor of this kind is, like virtue, its
own reward, and the cause of science-which
in the end is the cause of the race-reaps the
result.
Our attention has been called to the doings
Of this Society by the publication of the first
general and complete Report of its Proceed
iDgs which has been made since the great fire
Of 1856 The Report, with the appendix con-
tanning list of donations &c., makes thick
pamphlet of some 150 pages, and will be
found to contain much matter of interest,"
Besides vivid description of the great catas-
trophe by which the large and valuable collec-
tions of the Society, the fruits of years of toll
and study, were for the second time swept
away, we have careful statement of the situ-
alton Of the Society at that time and record
Of its subsequent proceedings. The loss of
the Society by the fire is estimated
at $4,000 in the Hall and $4,000
in the Cabinets This loss was terri
bly, disheartening, coming as it did just when
. for the second time the Society had reached
point where all doubts as TO its success and
durability had ceased, and it had taken its po-
sition as one of the cherished institutions of
the city and State. All the discouragements
and annoyances of a first start have had to be
encountered for the third time, but we do not
perceive that the courage or the efforts of the
working members have tagged for a moment.
Their appeal to the Friends of Science, 'circu-
lated soon after their great misfortune, has
been very widely responded to- As was to be
expected, the pecuniary returns from the pub
lication of this circular have been small but
the contributions of specimens from various
quarters have been valuable and large
Among the Scientific Associations to which
the society acknowledge especial obligations
are the Smithsonian Institution at Washing
ton, the Boston Society of Natural History,
and the Essex Institute of Salem, Mass The
pleasant rooms in the City Hail. kindly allot-
ted by the city government for Library and
Exhibition purposes, have been fitted up at an
expense of about $4,000, and Mr.. c. B. Fuller
has been for some time employed in the gener-
al work of arranging the collections. A great
number of exchanges have been made both in
this country and abroad. The means of effect
ing these was secured by the purchase of the
large.colections of Mr.. Fuller embracing the
majority of the Marine Invertebrates, of Maine,
with extensive suits of duplicates. The Cabi-
net for exhibition is already creditable and
interesting one, and is increasing every day
The Society is now entirely free from debt
and has small fund of about $4,000 remain
ing One half of this is reserved; its interest
can only be used for the increase of the libra
~. The remaining $4,000, with the annual re-
eeipts of about $3.50 for assessments, consti-
tute the working fund of the Society which
though small still affords the means of prog
ress
The Society felicitates itself in this report,
upon the success which has attended its ef-
forts to repair the heavy losses that have be-
fallen it. 1t starts third time on its career
with confidence and courage. Maine affords
an unusually fine field for scientific discovery
and Investigation, and with only its fair pro-
portion of public encouragement it would
seem that the Portland Society must in future
be able to do much for the cause of Natural
Science in New England. We earnestly hope
that the day of its misfortunes is over, and
that fire has scathed it for the last time
OF the various interesting papers which ac-
company this report we are not able to speak
at length. several of them have, in sub
stance, already been laid before our readers,
having been kindly furnished by the Society
for publication in these columns, but others
will be new to all outside of the Society.-
Among the interesting contents of the PAM
phiet are brief communication from DR.. N.
It. True on the Influence of Location on the
Growth Of Shells; a continuation of Mr.. Good
ale's Catalogue of the Flowering Plants of
Maine; an account by DR.. Wood of the Dis
eovery of Heath in Maine; paper on our
Fresh Water Polyzoa with plates, by A. Hy-
att; another on The Motion of Glaciers, by
DR.. John DeLaski; Decades of Maine Fungi,
with plates by NJ. G. Cooke, London, cores
ponding member, and DR.. Woods account of
the interesting discovery of the Clio Borealis
in this harbor in May last.