GUIDE TO THE COLOMBO MUSEUM. 153 



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THE COLOMBO MUSEUM. 



A GUIDE TO THE ARCHiEOLOGICAL AND 

 ETHNOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



With the exception of articles from the Maldive Islands, the 

 scope of the collections of the Colombo Museum has been wisely 

 limited so as to deal only with things which are connected with 

 Ceylon. The exhibits on the ground floor are illustrative of the 

 customs, arts, and handicrafts of the inhabitants of the Island, and 

 in this historical review place has been given not only to examples 

 of Sinhalese and Tamil art and ethnology, but also to objects in 

 which we may trace the influence of the Portuguese, Dutch, and 

 English periods of occupation. 



The Colombo Museum is the national museum of the country, 

 and its position as sucli is fully appreciated, as may be gathered from 

 the fact that about two hundred thousand natives visit the insti- 

 tution during the course of the year. If the Museum is primarily a 

 storehouse of national treasures, it has none the less played an 

 important part as an educative institution. 



The collections described in the present Guide occupy the gi'ound 

 floor of the Museum. The archaeological and ethnological exhibits 

 are confined to the main block, while on the ground floor of the new 

 east wing are found the Museum Offices and Library. 



The Library has a double origin, and two distinct portions are still 

 recognized. First, there is the Museum Library proper, which at 

 present contains about twelve thousand volumes, and which in its 

 present form dates from the foundation of the Museum. The 

 nucleus of the small library then brought together was formed by 

 the Government Oriental Library, which was founded in 1870, 

 during the administration of Sir Hercules Robinson, for the purpose 

 of rescuing the ancient literature of Ceylon. In addition to a 

 valuable collection of ola manuscripts the Museum Library contains 

 a representative collection of books dealing with the various phases 

 of the history of the Island and its inhabitants. It is particularly 

 rich in zoological monographs and journals and works on natural 

 history. 



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