Thomas Henry Huxley to Faraday   29 April 1856¹

My dear Mr. Faraday

As you are aware I concluded my first Fullerian Course of Lectures yesterday. The experience which I have gained as to the wants of the audience and the possibilities of the subject, has led me to the conviction that there are some impediments in the way of the complete development of the usefulness of the Course which might be very easily removed by the Board of Managers - and I feel therefore, that I should be wanting in my duty as Professor, if I did not beg you to bring these impediments under the notice of the Board, in any way that you may judge most expedient -

“Physiology and Comparative Anatomy” are the subjects of the Course - in other words the whole range of the Natural History Sciences so far as Animals are concerned - How complex these branches of Science are - how particularly desirable it is that, in endeavouring to teach them, the lecturer should be able to appeal to the senses of his auditors - I need not remind you -

But the Royal Institution provides neither Diagrams nor objects of Natural History and the sole object in its whole “repertoire” of which I have been able to make any use during my past course has been the Skeleton of a Bird - not in the best condition[.] So far as diagrams are concerned the want may be supplied by one’s own exertions - and the requisite experimental illustrations of Physiological doctrines may be, in like manner, supplied by such rough bits of apparatus as I have been in the habit of extemporizing, but the doctrines of Natural History cannot be thought properly without specimens of natural objects - so arranged as to be accessible not only during & after the Lecture but at other times -

There must be something like a Museum before any real knowledge of Natural History can be gained - By “Museum” however, I by no means understand a great heterogeneous collection, a constant source of expence & trouble as most Museums are, but what is known as a “typical Museum” - a series of Typical forms that is, of each great division of Living Beings - The size & expence of such a Museum would depend entirely upon whether the types selected were those of Classes, of Orders, of Families or of Genera; but, large or small, such a Museum would always be complete and harmonious in itself - What I may call an “ordinal Museum” i.e. a collection of the typical Forms of all the Orders (of which there are at a rough guess about 100 or 120) would be sufficient for a course of the Length prescribed for the Fullerian Lectures.- It would go into a very small space - and might be so arranged as to be accessible to every member of the Institution so that every one who wished to gain an acquaintance with Natural History might acquire a real & practical knowledge of its doctrines by his own private study-

The increasing demand which the Natural History Sciences are every day making upon the attention of instructed & thoughtful men - and the high place which they must sooner or later take as branches of education - suggest the inquiry whether it would not be to the interest of the Royal Institution to do for them the same good offices which it has already performed for the physical & chemical Sciences? The establishment of such a Museum as that which I have just described would be a most important step in this direction; and should the Board of Managers see fit to adopt my suggestion, I can only say I shall be happy to undertake the superintend care of all details &c &c²

Ever | My dear Mr Faraday | Very faithfully yours | T.H. Huxley

Jermyn S. | April 29th