Professorship of Natural History, Votes of visitors, 1807-1826 Digital

This subseries contains letters, copies of votes extracted from the meeting minutes of the Board of Visitors, bills of exchange, and reports documenting the administration of the Massachusetts Professorship of Natural History and the Botanic Garden at Harvard by the Board of Visitors. Topics addressed in this subseries include the setting of William Dandridge Peck's salary, the requirement that Peck deliver a course of lectures on zoology to Harvard students, and the collection of outstanding debts. The subseries also documents the payment of bills on behalf of the Botanic Garden, suggestions to improve the Garden's management, the selling of stock and the receiving of property deeds to raise operating funds, the appointment of Thomas Nuttall as curator of the Botanic Garden in 1826, and a decision to leave the Professorship vacant due to insufficient funding.