“ On peut en mesurer dès à présent la portée pour l'instruction des peuples, pour l'avancement des sciences, pour le bien de l'humanité. Croyez, Monsieur le Ministre, que si tant de personnages éminents, tant de pouvoirs publics se sont montrés accessibles à mes sollicitations, c'est qu'il y a une sorte de conscience universelle qui s'attache à l'accomplissement de mon œuvre comme à une espérance de grandeur et de gloire pour les nations. ”

“ The undersigned young men, citizens of the United States of America, now in Paris, have heard so much about the successful realisation of your scheme of international exchanges between France and their native land, that they are induced to take the liberty of requesting from you a narration of the results of your indefatigable exertions in the cause of science during the past twelve months. ”

“ There are families of plants that require peculiar processes of preservation. Palms, on account of their size, cannot be preserved in common herbals. Yet, it is important to complete the history of this remarquable family. For this, must be preserved:—1o The dried leaves in paper spread out, when they are not too large; folded like a fan, dried in the air and wrapped in brown paper well tied, when they are large.—2o Clusters of flowers or carymbs with the common envelope, taking care to preserve equally the male and female flowers, when they are separate ”

“ Le zèle désintéressé de M. Vattemare, l'idée généreuse et grande qu'il a conçue d'établir, entre les différents États de l'Europe et de l'Amérique, un échange de livres et d'objets d'art, ont mérité et obtenu à plusieurs reprises l'intérêt de la Chambre des pairs, qui, dans sa dernière session, avait émis le vœu qu'une Commission permanente fût instituée dans le but de régulariser et de faciliter ces échanges. ”

“ Your desinterested and persevering efforts to establish a system of international exchanges of works of science and art are duly appreciated in our country. The results of those efforts we have all witnessed with great admiration in the fine engravings and rare books and medals, the contribution and donations of some of the highest and most meritorious men of France to the library and museum of the National Institute. ”

“ If the plain and marked characteristics of the two animal species often disappear; if a skilful analysis, enlightened by direct comparison with analogous objects, can alone discover them, how can the anthropologist size between two neighbouring types, express and transmit by description, light, fleeting distinctions, some times invisible for him, who has not the habit of observing them? ”

“ The outer shell, when it is spiral, should be broken at the upper part, and at several points of the spire, to let the liquor run in, so that the whole animal may be preserved; it is possible, following this indication, to have shell-fish in such order, that they may be dissected, even after being a very long time in the collections.
In calm or gentle breezes, it is well to have ready a gauze net to seize the sea molluscs, whose number is considerable. They should be watched and drawn several times a night, for it is probable that the spirule will be found at the surface of the water. ”

“ Articulated animals.—Articulated animals (viz. insects, spiders, crustacees, etc.) , compose the principal family of the animal kingdom; collections made in distant countries include generally a considerable proportion of new-varieties and the capture, preservation and transport of these little beings offer no serious difficulties. We recommend in a special manner to the attention of travellers enthomological researches; undertaken with zeal and intelligence, even by a person who is not a naturalist, they can not fail of being useful to science and important for the museum. ”

“ Thus, coal-land, so rich in fossil plants in Europe, is excavated at a great number of points in North America, in the East Indies, in China, and New-Holland, and is found, without doubt, in other places; the mines of the United States have been worked with care for the fossils which they contain, and have already supplied our galleries with numerous specimens. ”

“ His countrymen are always on the march of improvement in the various departments of the elegant arts. Every description of magnificent engraving has been communicated. Box after box of books has come from him in unmeasured profusion. It would be endless to recapitulate the objects of his friendly contribution. They are referred to emphatically because they have especially served to set in motion that system of exchange, without which nothing can be completely deserving of the name of a collection. That Mr. Vattemare does not weary in his efforts needed no new proof. ”

“ That of the lion was not well known until after the lionness of the menagerie had whelps; it is also since two elephants have died ad the menagerie of the museum that an exact knowledge of the anatomy of this great quadruped has been acquired.
Travellers cannot be too strongly recommended to neglect nothing in order to send animals to us when they have it in their power to find them living.
The small quadrupeds, chiefly those that burrow and hide themselves in the ground are the least known. The bat tribe are still less so, and merit not less the attention and care of travellers. ”

“ In general entomologists content themselves with collecting insects without studying the manners and mode of life of these animals; yet they thus fulfill but a part of their duty, for it is necessary for the progress of science to have exact notions on this subject. Thus, it is well to indicate, whenever it is possible, not only the locality where the insect is found, but, besides, the nature of the locality, the names of the plants on which the variety is found, and all the particulars relative to its manner of life. ”

“ Those great marine plants, commonly known by the name of sea-weed, should be dried by hanging them in the shade, in the open air, without pressing them in paper; they should, afterwards, be put in paper bags, with a label of the place where they were collected and their color when fresh.
They can be better prepared in Paris than in travelling, as they often require much care, unless the traveller is skilled in the art. Samples preserved in alcohol would be useful for anatomical researches. ”

“ The boxes designed for the reception of entomologic specimens should be of light wood, and, at least, two inches and a half deep; the bottom should be lined with cork or some other very soft vegetable substance and the pins should be pressed in as much as possible. When the insects are large, it is necessary, besides, to fix them by means of several pins placed around; for if one of them gets loose, he not only injures humself, but likewise damages all those whom he jostles. As soon as a box is full, and the insects dry enough, it should be shut and pasted with bands of paper on all the joints ”

“ Si nous devons en juger par quelques essais tentés avec les États-Unis, ces propositions d'échanges, étendues à tous les États civilisés, se trouvent bien accueillies, car, presque partout l'Union américaine a témoigné, par son empressement à répondre à cet appel et par sa libéralité, et nous dirons presque par sa magnificence, de l'intérêt qu'elle portait à ces communications de la pensée, qui ne peuvent que fortifier les bons rapports qui existent entre eux et nous. ”

“ Le Canada ne manque, sous aucun rapport, des richesses nécessaires pour venir au-devant des offres de nos frères transatlantiques; car,016 quoiqu'il ne possède aucun des trésors fruits d'une longue civilisation, comme des antiquités, des ouvrages de littérature et d'arts, les productions naturelles de nos pays, estimées comme elles le sont en Europe, et qui ne demandent que de l'industrie pour être rassemblées, seraient cependant tout à fait dignes d'être échangées contre les livres, modèles et spécimens qui ne manqueraient pas de nous être envoyés des plus anciennes contrées. ”

“ If there is neither viol nor alcohol, the flowers may be dried in the air without pressing, and then folded in paper and labelled; care should be taken to put them up, so that there may be no danger of pressure.
Entire specimens in flower and fruit of parasites with their roots and the root in which they are imbedded should be preserved in alcohol, or vinegar, or salt-water. Males and females of these plants, in which the sexes are generally separated, should be collected. These plants are generally remarkable for the absence of leaves, for their pulpy consistence and creeping character. ”

“ Attendu qu'un tel système de bon vouloir et de courtoisie entre les nations ne peut que servir les intérêts de la religion, de la morale, de la littérature et des arts, et qu'il tend à faire de toutes les nations civilisées un corps de travailleurs attentifs à leur avancement mutuel ”

“ Herbals and fruits, when perfectly dry, should be put in tin, or, at least, well painted boxes so as to be beyond the reach of mice or insects.
Leaves of paper containing plants, should be well pressed together in packets and placed between two sheets of plain paper, before being put in boxes.
In packing up, several samples may be placed between each leaf of paper, and the number of leaves placed between be lessened, if necessary; the packets should always be well pressed together. Any kind of paper is good for packing; bananas or any large-leafed plant can replace it ”

“ But the intra-uterine gestation of the marsupials, and the second singular gestation peculiar to them, still remain new and important subjects of study for anatomy and comparative physiology. Animals or parts of animals sent in alcohol from America, the Indian Archipelago, or New-Holland, some cases of reproduction occuring in Paris and London, such are the imperfect elements which the French and English physiologists possess; their efforts to procure a certain number of specimens have always been unsuccessful. ”

“ As for amateurs, who can give but few moments to the study of Natural History, who have not hitherto occupied themselves with it, but who have, notwithstanding the desire to render their sojourn in certain points little explored, profitable to our object, we have thought that instead of collecting a great number of objects, they would do well to limit themselves to such as are signalized as curious and indicated in the list of our desirata. ”

“ It would be interesting to have a collection of threads spun by exotic spiders, and the preservation of these delicate tissues is easy enough, if they are spread out on a leaf of paper dipped in gum-water. It is perhaps superfluous to add that those specimens would have little value, unless each one is accompanied by the spider that belongs to it. In fine, we will point out to travellers the kinds reputed venemous, and those which live as parasites on other animals. ”

“ We have the hope that, with the aid of the Daguerreotype and physionotype, the american naturalists will enrich anthropology with results of great interest. By photographic portraits, such as those presented to the Academy by M. Thiesson; by mouldings to be added to the fine collection made by M. Dumoutier, now in the museum; by colored drawnings, by descriptions and measures, they would transmit us information of extreme precision, true scientific elements, to which the committee would attach the greatest importance. ”

“ It is sufficient to take them with a net, to wash them well in warm water, to put them in alcohol with the precautions that we shall point out, and to prepare a note which indicates the latitude of the place where they are taken, if they live solitary or in society, if they are phosphorescent, if they inhabit a certain depth or the surface of the sea. The colors of gelatinous animals not keeping well in liquor, it is very important to mention them. ”

“ Formerly, nothing could be learnt of these essential objects but by the relations of travellers. Establishments formed at great expense by princes or rich amateurs to collect and take care of rare animals, were rather objects of luxury and curiosity than an object of study. But since we have had a menagerie at the museum, a new career of observation is open to naturalists. There, animals can be followed in all degrees of their developments, and their manner of living can be compared with their organisation, that anatomy discovers after death ”

“ We come now to the way of preserving animals in alcohol.
If they are quadrupeds, birds, reptiles or fish of considerable size, each specimen should be wrapped in linen tied round the body with thread; if the animals are very small like mice, small vipers, shell-fish or worms, the linen should be large; a certain number of these animals are placed upon it so that they do not touch ”

“ An animal that is not frightened at the sight of those who take care of him, is always in better health and resists more easily the fatigues of a sea-voyage than one who remains wild, and there is scarce any animal that does not yield to kind treatment. ”

“ It results that, in all countries, travellers who occupy themselves with enthomology, can render themselves useful to the museum, and, in distant countries, they should not neglect collecting all the insects they find, even when the kinds do not appear to differ in anything from those found every day at home. There are some parts of the globe, which, enthomologically, deserve to fix the attention of the collecter, either by reason of their extraordinary richness or on account of the small number of parcels yet sent to the museum. ”

“ Que d'ouvrages restent enfouis dans les dépôts publics, dans les divers ministères, aux archives des chambres législatives, qui proviennent des publications et des souscriptions, qui n'ont aucune valeur pour la France, parce que toutes les bibliothèques les possèdent, et que les collections étrangères accepteraient avec empressement et recueilleraient avec soin et réciproquement. ”

“ Les soussignés, en prêtant leur appui à cette demande, s'associent, autant qu'il est en eux, à une grande pensée, à une belle et noble tâche dans laquelle M. Vattemare a besoin d'être encouragé et soutenu pour qu'il puisse la continuer et entreprendre, avec les divers États de l'Europe, ce qu'il a si heureusement tenté avec l'Amérique du nord. ”