REPORT. 



A FTER a number of years, iu which the colledlions in the 

 Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum liave been subject to the 

 utility of the whole rather than the convenience of any part, the 

 plans of the Dire(ftor have progressed to the extent of a complete 

 separation and rearrangement of the Hawaiian portion of the col- 

 lecftions by the opening and dedication of Hawaiian Hall. The 

 foundations of this largest portion of the entire Museum building 

 were laid five years ago, but the builders have at last completed 

 their work and on the twenty-fourth of November, 1903, the Hall 

 was publicly dedicated. It is the first distincftively Hawaiian 

 museum in the world, and its opening certainl)^ marks an epoch 

 in the history of the.se Islands. 



To facilitate the transfer of the Hawaiian specimens to their 

 new cases the Trustees closed the Museum to the public from 

 May I until the day of reopening, a little more than six months, 

 and even with this help the last cases were not ready for their 

 assigned exhibits until two days before the results were to be given 

 to the public. The removal of so large a portion of our collec5lion 

 of course involved a very extensive rearrangement of the entire 

 Mu.seum, and nearly all exhibits were removed from their cases 

 and after careful examination rearranged. 



In the Pidlure Gallery all the pidlures were taken from the 

 walls and the room was repainted to the great advantage of the 

 general effect. In Polynesian Hall two large cases were built to 

 occupy the centre of the Hall, but even with this relief the cases 

 are often too crowded to show their contents to the best advantage. 



[143] (3) 



