392 iiECOKr>s OF the ausikaman museum. 



The Colonial Secretary's rei>ly of the 24'th February, 1860, acknowled<^ed 

 the receipt of the above letter and in his second paragraph states as 

 follows : — 



"In reply I am directed by the Colonial Secretary to state, that no 

 " payment can }>e allowed except the sums actually agreed to or paid 

 "by the gentlemen who undertook to make the engagement." 

 The Trustees consider that it is clear from this correspondence that the 

 right of the Trustees was not disputed by the Government. 



(j. That with respect to the despatch addressed V)y His Excellency, Sir W. T. 

 Denison to the Secretary of State and the reply to that despatch, it is 

 sufficient to state that neither the Board nor any of its members were 

 aware of either of them, and that no copy of that reply stated to have 

 been forwarded to them has ever been received by the Trustees. 



7. Tliat the Trustees regret the determination which the Colonial Secretary 



has arrived at as the non-appointment of a Curator at a time when his 

 services are particularly required must materially injure not only the 

 Institution but the Public by depriving them of the lectures the Curator 

 would give. 



8. The Trustees cannot for the reasons hereinbefore given consent to incur the 



responsibility of managing an Institution with an officer who would iu 

 fact be independent of their control, and they therefore cannot admit the 

 right of the Government to the appointment nor indeed the policy of 

 vesting it in any other body but the Trustees. 



9. Under the circumstances the Trustees must endeavour to the V>est of their 



ability to carry on the Institution with the present Acting Curator who 

 also fills the office of Secretary and whose joint occupation will necessarily 

 prevent him from devoting all that care as Curator which the Museum 

 imperatively demands. The blame should the Institution not prosper as 

 the Trustees would desire will not rest with them. 



10. The Trustees are under the impression that the Government only refuse to 

 them the right of the appointment of Curator from a belief that the 

 Constitution Act of the Colony renders it imperative on the Government 

 to nominate such an officer, an interpretation of the law in which this 

 Board cannot concur. They would suggest however to the Colonial 

 Secretary that in order to solve the difficulty the Government should place 

 the amount of the Salary of the Curator on the ensuing Estimates as an 

 addition to the endowment fund incUspensible to the proper management 

 of the Institution. 



11. The Trustees are extremely anxious to procure the services of a thoroughly 

 qualified Curator, and if the salary lie grantecl propose to request two or 

 more of the most distinguished naturalists in England to select such a 

 person for the appointment. At present they have heard of no person 

 qualified for the office. 



And lieie tlie inattei' rested, to all intents and purposes, for upwards 

 of two years, in fact, until the 28th April, 18H4. In the meantime the 

 Trustees expressed their annoyance and difficulties as follows-'^' : — 



"The Trustees have with much regret to report that the Museum is sutlVring 

 from the want of the services of an efficient Curator, though the 

 Legislature has voted a liberal sum for the salary of such an Officer. . . 

 . . Th(! Trustees have been withheld from proceeding to obtain a 

 Curator by the refusal of the Government to recognise the right of the 

 Trustees to api)oint such an Officer, or even to make arrangements for the 

 selection of an individual to fill that office." 



-•'•'i Annual Keport for ISOli (18i;;i-l), p. 



