ogical garden, similar to those in
London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Cologne. Their object was to remove this
part of the Park beyond the reach of political intrigue. Subsequent
events have shown that the fears of these gentlemen were well founded.
The Legislature of the State, on the 25th of March, 1862, gave ample
powers to the New York Historical Society to establish a Museum of
Antiquity and Science, and a Gallery of Art, in the Central Park.
They have submitted designs for a building, but, for some reason, no
decisive steps have been taken towards its construction.

The Lyceum of Natural History was also negotiating with the
Commissioners, for the use of the upper rooms of the arsenal for its
collections, and there is no doubt that an arrangement to this
effect would have been made, if a fire had not destroyed the entire
collections of the Lyceum. The Lyceum made great effort to raise money
to purchase a new collection, but without avail; and, although this
is the oldest scientific society in New York, and has inrolled in its
list of members, nearly every professional scientist of the city, it
is probably the poorest, in income and resources, of any academy of
sciences in the world. We do not know that the Academy of Design has
ever applied for a home in the Central Park; and we cannot speak for
the American Institute, nor for the Geographical Society, in this
particular. As we stated in our former article, the old Board of
Commissioners appears to have become weary of the unsuccessful
attempts on the part of numerous societies to divide up and apportion
the Central Park, and they applied to the Legislature for authority to
conduct matters in their own way. An act was duly passed, authorizing
the Board "to erect, establish, conduct, and maintain, on the Central
Park, a Meteorological and Astronomical Observatory, a Museum of
Natural History, and a Gallery of Art, and the buildings therefor, and
to provide the necessary instruments, furniture, and equipments for
the same."

Here would seem to be ample power for the establishment of museums of
science and art, but nothing is said about the manner of raising the
money. One would suppose, however, that, by means of the "Central Park
Improvement Fund," abundant means could have been raised. The bill
now before the Legislature puts matters in a new light. If it does not
conflict with previous enactments, nor destroy vested rights, it has
the appearance of being a thoroughl