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IV—GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS.
THE MUSEUM
The apartment at the South Australian
Institute which is assigned to the ac-<*>
commodation of the Museum has been
closed for a few Weeks for the purposes of
painting and renovation, and the interval
has been utilised by miking such im
provements in the distribution of the
j articles as are possible in the very limited
accommodation. It is manifest, how
ever, that the apartments are so utterly
insufficient for the proper display of the
numerous articles of interest which are
nnder the care of Mr. Waterhouse that
justice can be done neither to the Curator,
the public, the donors of the articles, nor
the articles themselves. In one or two
departments of the Museum South Aus
tralia is possessed of a finer collection I
than any of the other colonies can boast
of; and it really is a pity that so much
apathy should be shown in a matter
which ought to be one of the primary
considerations of a people who are
desirous of affording some systematic
and comprehensive means of pnblic
education. Perhaps few institutions are
more useful for educational purposes than
a well-arranged public Museum, where
the student of science may see brought
before him illustrations from the world of
nature classified and arranged upon scien
tific principles, and where also the casual i
visitor may learn something of the world j
about him in a more practical way than
he could by a long and laborious study |
of books. It is because our Museum j
doas not, and cannot, under pre
sent circumstances- fulfil these condi- i
tions, that persons who appreciate such
advantages must always fed. a sense of I
dissatisfaction and vexation that we as a
colony are content to allow our national
collection of scientific specimens and in
teresting relics to be cramped np in a
room not one-tenth large enough to give
proper accommodation to it. Casual
visitors to the Museum on North-terrace
may consider that the articles on view
constitute the entire collection in the pos
session of the Government; but such is
not the case, as those who have had a
.peep into the Curator's office and labora
tory, or who have had conversations with
him, well know. Many valuable collec
tions of fossils, shells, reptiles, birds, &c,
some of which are bequests, never see
the light, but are stowed away in dark
drawers or boxes. Visitors to the Insti
tute will be aware that at present the
only space available for the accommoda
tion of the Museum is a gallery 80 or 80
feet long and tiie space on the landing of
the staircase, where a fine collection of
Australian birds finds room; but tbis
arrangement interferes with the educa
tional purposes of the Museum.
In order to bear out the remarks we
have made as to the utter nnsuitableoess
and insufficiency of the present Museum
for the purposes intended, we will enu
merate several of tbe more noticeable of
the collections which are under the care
of Mr. Waterhouse. First of all, with
respect to Australian marsupials, the
Museum has most of the rarest species
known; but tbe commoner sorts, for want
of space, have not been procured. In
the department of Ayes the Museum can
boast of, we believe, the finest collection
of Australian birds in existence. Mr.
Waterhouse has got specimens of almost
every bird that is to be got, and his col
lection numbers about 400 species—the
only classes deficient are ocean birds,
which cannot be strictly termed Austra
lian, as they traverse a wide extent.
There are birds also from Europe, South
America, South Africa, and other places,
which have been stuffed and mounted ;
whilst there is a large collection of skins
of birds from the Northern Territory
(many of which are rare and unique),
from North America, Madagascar, the
Indian Archipelago, and other.parts of
tho world, which are stowed away for
want of space. There is a fine collection
of fish from St. Vincent's Gulf. It will
be remembered that in .recent trawling
expeditions in the Gulf, several novel
specimens of fish were discovered. These
arc now being described by Count de
Gastlenan, the French Consul in Mel
bourne, who has informed Mr. Water
house that several of the specimens are
quite new to science. The class Keptilia
contains a remarkably fine collection, in
cluding specimens from all parts of Aus
tralia. A large proportion of this collec- !
tion is kept in the Curator's room, it
being impossible to find space for it in
the Museum. Entymologyis fairly illus
trated. In mineralogy a very fair collec
tion of typical minerals is on view in the
glass cases, but the drawers underneath
are filled with other specimens, which
never see the light except when shown to
the initiated by the Curator. There are
also belonging to the Museum a beautiful
series of fossils of the British and New
Zealand coal measures, a fine collection of
Australian tertiary fossils, and also a good
collection of typical fossils of the various
geological formations, which latter was
selected by the late Dr. Woodward, of the
British Museum, for Mr. Waterhouse.
The department of conchology comprises
a splendid collection of Australian shells,
for which, however, it is impossible to
find adequate room. Mr. Waterhouse
has also been advised of the shipment of
a very large and general collection of
shells from the Museum of Darmstadt in
return for a gift of Australian animals
sent by him with which the fine Museum
at Danrjstadt has been enriched. In
osteology only a few skeletons have been
set up, bnt many are reserved, being
stored away till room can be found for
them. The ethnological collections com
prise some very interesting articles. The
public are indebted to the late William
Owen, Esq., for a very complete and
valuable collection of Fijian weapons,
costumes, canoes, fabrics, pottery, &c.,
and several Malay proas. Mr. Owen
spent several hundreds ot pounds in
making this collection, which during the
renovation of the Museum, has been more
carefully arranged and conspicuously dis
played than previously. Ethnological
specimens from all parts of Australia, in
cluding the Northern Territory and New
Zealand, have been presented to the
Museum; and a small collection of
native weapons, &c., from the Gambia
river settlement, at Western Africa, is a
donation from Sir Richard Graves Mac-
Donnell, ex-Governor of South Australia.
Among the several objects of curiosity,
there are numerous relics and memorials
of Australian exploring parties, which
must always be of peculiar interest, and
many other articles difficult to enumerate,
which have to be huddled up in the cases
in a manner that prevents their proper
inspection. We had almost omitted to
mention the very valuable collection of
coins, &c., which was bequeathed to the
Institute by the late Mr. A. H. T. Vbsz,
who was au enthusip?tic nuinisu—tologist.
Few persons are aware of the existence
of this valuable collection, as it is stowed
away in the Curator's room, it being
utterly impossible to give it accommoda
tion in the Museum.
From the above brief enumeration o
articles belonging to the Museum, it wilf
be seen that our national collection is a
very valuable one, and woll deserves
better quarters than it has, and is
worthy of more attention than it can at
present receive from the public. It is
hardly creditable to us that we have not
made an effort ere this to erect a separate
aud distinct building, wh< re the Museum
could be properly arranged. Not only
should this be done for the purposes of
education, as we have previously stated,
but also in simple justice to those gene
rous persons who have made, and would
make, liberal donations to the Museum
if an assurance could be given that their
donations could be utilised and exhibited.
At present, however, there is no encou
ragement given for the enrichment of our
collection of scientific and other articles,
either by bequests, donations, or ex
changes, and the industrious Curator of
the Museum very justly deplores the in
difference displayed with regard to the
matter. We commend this project of a,
new Museum to the attention of the Par
liament and the public generally. A
Museum is a national, not a metropolitan,
institution, and, therefore, should not be
looked upon with narrow prejudices or
cold indifference. Our Botanic Gardens
are a source of continual delight to the
citizens and country folk, and also to
visitors from other lands, and so might
our Museum be if a building worthy of
the collection and of the colony were
erected.
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