1897] THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUM 389 
sentence from Natural Science) of the means of “ co-ordination, in- 
vestigation, and effective utilisation of all our obscured scientific and 
artistic material,” together with the creation of means by which those 
aspiring to take up curatorial work may receive a thorough training. 
A somewhat rough-and-ready classification of provincial museums 
seems to indicate naturally a string of suggestions which might 
possibly be elaborated into a workable and effective scheme. At 
present provincial museums may, we think, be placed in three or 
four classes as follows :— 
I. Museums of University Colleges, and of large cities possess- 
ing large collections and a trained staff. 
II. Museums of important manufacturing centres, or county 
towns, with usually fair collections and a self-educated 
_ staff, 
III. Museums of small towns, and of scientific societies which 
are managed by honorary curators, or once arranged and 
afterwards left unaltered in the hands of a care-taker. 
IV. Museums under the Libraries and Museums: Act which are 
managed by the librarian in addition to his own work, 
outside help being obtained from time to time. Some of 
these museums rank in importance with those of Class IT. 
That a relative importance of provincial museums exists such as 
that implied in this classification will, we think, be admitted, and 
upon this assumption the following suggestions are formulated as a 
means of bringing about that co-ordination and improvement of 
museum development which is so much desired. 
SUGGESTED PLAN 
I. Creation of an annual museums’ grant by Government in aid 
of provincial museums of the first class, the sum allotted to each 
being determined by considerations similar to those which guide the 
application of the present University Colleges’ Grant. 
Upon the strength of such a grant the Government could charge 
each museum with a definite scope of work and the attainment and 
retention of a certain standard of excellence. 
For example, a museum might be called upon as a condition of 
receiving the grant to have special aims such as the following :-— 
(a) The specific task of investigating and demonstrating by col- 
lections the natural history, &c., of a defined geographical 
area of which the museum would be the centre. 
(b) The formation and continued progress of a good general 
collection suited to the needs of the area served by the 
museum. 
