| Description | The papers comprising this series were raised and housed in the Keeper's office, kept separate from his other papers and correspondence. Most letters and memoranda were signed by the Principal Librarian of the British Museum or, in later years, by the Director of the Natural History Museum. Others were written by the Museum Secretary and his assistant, fellow keepers of the natural history departments, and members of staff of the Department of Mineralogy. A few, such as the John Tyndall letters in DF15/2, were written by outsiders. From 1890 many of the letters are Keepers' circulars, duplicated from manuscript.
Subject matter of the letters includes staffing, publications, the receipt of collections, matters to do with finance and accounts, gallery exhibits, security, heating and lighting, and distinguished visitors to the Museum. Many of the letters complain that proper procedures have not been followed or that necessary permissions have not been given.
No internal correspondence later than 1904 was present in the Department at the time the Archive was listed in 1981. |