240 Szvainson's Preliminary Discourse 



(once said to exist in the collection), with the exception of the 

 dodo's head, had been stolen by those who knew their value, 

 and seized some of the many opportunities allowed them of 

 removing them from the trash with which they were sur- 

 rounded. 



Often in this distant land do I call to mind, with disgust, 

 the deplorable state of an institution which the university 

 was bound to support with the utmost liberality. Still do I 

 fancy before me the zebra's skin stuffed by some blacksmith, 

 and placed as an ornament to the entrance ; the half a 

 score of ludicrous paintings which defaced the staircase; the 

 dresses of South Sea Islanders in English masks, and without 

 a feather remaining ; the pretended skull of Cromwell which 

 had been oftentimes broken by the mischievous undergra- 

 duates, and as often replaced as genuine as ever ; some paltry 

 fragments of Roman pottery ; the dust of a mummy totally 

 decayed; a few skulls of Mammalia, from which the teeth 

 had been taken for the turning-lathe ; fifty or sixty insects 

 reduced to powder by the A'can, or without a limb on their 

 bodies ; and the room full of works and papers on astrology, 

 worthy only of the flames ! After the fate which had be- 

 fallen the original museum of Ashmole, what man in his 

 senses would have bequeathed his collections to such an in- 

 stitution, or even have presented his useless duplicates ? 

 During a residence of several years, the only addition I re- 

 member was that made by my friend Sir Christopher Pegge, 

 who presented to the university a valuable series of minerals. 

 With the exception of the mineralogical collections under 

 the charge of the justly celebrated Professor of Geology, and 

 which had been greatly augmented by his daily exertions, all 

 was confusion, and dust, and filth. 



It is some satisfaction to hear that the present active cu- 

 rator, Mr. Duncan, has undertaken the herculean task of 

 cleansing this receptacle of remains, and is diligently employed 

 in adding to the collections, and arranging the subjects so as 

 to assist the researches of the student. If the university 

 would make some amends for their long neglect of the insti- 

 tution, they would erect a larger and more commodious 

 building, and appoint some learned zoologist to deliver lec- 

 tures on a study daily beeoming more delightful and inter- 

 esting. In the Radcliffe Library the university already 

 possesses one of the very finest libraries of natural history in 

 Europe ; which (as I am bound to testify) is thrown open 

 at all times to the zealous student, by its amiable and excel- 

 lent curator, the Regius Professor of Botany. — [Lansdcrwn 

 Guilding. St. Vincent^ May 1. 1830.] 



