COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 61 



From Ecuador and Peru were a number of arrowheads, lance points 

 maces, bows and arrows, weapons, etc. 



A series of small boxes contained a collection of medical and phar 

 maceutical specimens brought back from America about the year 1777 

 by the botanists sent thither by Charles III. The large series of cin 

 chona bark is especially interesting as being the first at all complete 

 collection ever brought to America of this invaluable drug. 



Among the postcolumbian or recent ethnographic objects from the 

 museum should be mentioned, in the first place, those obtained in the 

 expedition of the Corvettes, Descubierta, and Atrevida, in the year 1791. 

 They included four models of kayaks, the fishing boats in use by the 

 Esquimaux, and waterproof clothing which the fishermen don in 

 exposure to the weather. From Nootka Sound there were specimens 

 of carvings in wood, as masks, human faces, the human figure, and 

 boxes in the form of a bird; also stone implements, axes, amulets, and 

 wooden carvings of various descriptions from Vancouver Island, south 

 ern Alaska, and the Straits of Fuca. 



From the area of the United States the museum exhibited skins 

 dressed and painted from New Mexico, feathers and ornaments and 

 various garments from the same locality, stone weapons and bows 

 principally from the tribes in the southwestern United States. 



More important than these were the collections from Mexico of arti 

 cles manufactured since the Conquest, and of small images represent 

 ing various native types. Modern Mexican pottery was set forth by a 

 collection of 956 vases from Guadalajara and Cartegena of very varying 

 forms, usually having feet and covers of the same material and differ 

 ing widely in perfection of work. Other objects which may be men 

 tioned were the peculiar Mexican hats, Mexican leather work, cups and 

 dishes of cocoauut very elaborately decorated, textile materials from 

 the Indians and from the Spanish inhabitants of the country, groups of 

 figures, representing various characters, extremely well made and 

 remarkably close to life. 



A series of twenty-four paintings, with incrustations of mother of 

 pearl, recalling different episodes of the Conquest of Mexico and dated 

 from the year 1G98, were of much historic interest. Others, painted on 

 copper and variously decorated with paper and feathers, memorialized 

 certain scenes of a religious character and were intended for exhibi 

 tion in the churches. Some life-like figures were in wax ; one, a collec 

 tion of thirty species of birds, modeled in this substance, and carved 

 with designs appropriate to the various species represented. This was 

 a work of the Indians of central Mexico. 



From South America specimens were shown of amulets used by the 

 Indians of Colombia, flutes made of cane from the same locality, combs 

 of vegetable fiber, vases made from shell of the fruit of a tree, and 

 baskets of cane for the purpose of carrying water. A number of eth 

 nographic specimens, such as collars and bracelets, garments and 



