THK AUSTHAI.IAN MI'SKUM KAI.'I.V IIISIol;V K 111 KIM In ; I- . lUf) 



"Tlio MaiiusiTi])t Calalo^'iu! of tlic Miiseuiii drawn u]> by tlie Secnitary I Dr. 

 (-1. Ik'iiiU'ttJ he i)riiitt'(l and (liiit lenders are to ]h'. received from tlii^ Atlas 

 ;ind Colonial Trintin^ OfHces-"," 



live liiindivd copies to bo the issue. It was iiid actually oi'dercd to he set 

 lip ill tvf.c until the -itli October, 1M.S7, the tender (il Mr. Tcfftr, of I he 

 Athis Printing Odice, being accepted. This Catah)gue was entitled : — 



" A Cataloij^ue of the Siieeiniens of Natural History and IMiscellaneon.s 

 Curiosities deinjsitod in the Austnilian Museum. l)y <i. Heniiett ■-'." 



and has long been out of print. It wouhl appeal' that a t'uitlier C'atalogiie 

 Avas conteniphited as soon after tlie appeal ;ince of JJeiinett's as lSl.2, for 

 on the 12th May of that yeai- a lettei- is recorded from tlie Coh)nial Secre- 

 taiy, Hon. K. Deas Thomson, stating tliat His K.xcelleiu'v [Sir (Jeoi'ge 

 (Jipps] agreed to print copies of the Catalogue, but "recommended 

 its i-evisioir".'" This revision was carried out by Mr. (Sir) W. Macarthur, 

 and here the matter seems to have ended. 



During its early struggles tlie Museum appears to liave possessed a 

 rival in that of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, established 28rd 

 March, 1838-^^, and said to have been " opened " in 1837'^^. Meetings 

 were at first held on Church Hill in the house "lately occupied by Captain 

 Kossi'^''." For the period, this collection must have contained many 

 objects of interest and value, and amongst its various Curators ajipear 

 the names of no less than Dr. (Sir) C. Nicholso]i, Arthur a'Beckett, James 

 Dunlop, F.R.S.'^S and for its President, Major (Sir) T. L. Mitchell, 

 Surveyor-Genei'al. The Museum contained zoohigical objects, phreno- 

 logical busts, minei'als, fossils, Grecian and other coins, models, etc.: — 



" The establishment of a Museum was considered by the orii^inators of this 

 Institution as a subject scarcely secondary in importance to any contem- 

 plated in its design-''*." 



The first record of acknowledging donations to come under my notice 

 appeared iu 1838. On the 3rd October of that yeai' the plate, and a proof 

 tlierefrom, were submitted to the Sub-Committee for inspection and 

 approved of^''. This sj^stem is still in vogue. Looking a little further 

 ahead, it was resolved on tlie 30th July, 1853**^', that :^ 



" The circular letter conveying such vote of thanks shall l)e signed by the 

 Chairman." 



This was so far afterwards dej^arted from that the Curator, or his 

 representative for the time being, performed tliis, and it is so now. It 

 was also customary for many years to forward lists of donations to the 

 public press for acknowledgment in that way. 



»i Minutes, 20th Sept., 1837. 



■'" pj). 36 (12mo., Sydney, 1837). 



3- Minutes, 12th March, 1842. 



■i^ Third Annual Report for 1S35. 



35 Moore's Almanac and Hand Book for N.S.VV. for 1832, p. 1.3. 



3« Raymond's N.S.W. Calendar and G. L'.O. Directory, 183o, p. 418. 



37 Tegg's N.S.W. Pocket Almanac, 1840, p. 170. 



:i8 Annual Reiwrt for 1838 (1839), p. 16. 



39 Minutes, 3rd October, 1838. 



w „ 30th July, 1853. 



