COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 75 



The objects from Central America collected and arranged by Dr. 

 Bovallius, comprised various ethnographic specimens from the Tala- 

 manca Indians in Costa Rica, a number of articles obtained from the 

 existing natives of Nicaragua, and a collection proceeding from his 

 excavations in the islands of Lake Nicaragua in the year 1883. Near 

 these was a model in wood on a small scale, giving his idea of the 

 architectural character and proportions of a temple of the natives, 

 such as once stood on the island of Zapatero in Lake Nicaragua. 



DEPARTMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



The United States of America was efficiently represented in the 

 exhibition by large and valuable collections, covering a wide range of 

 subjects and contributed by various individuals and institutions. 



As these will be made the subjects of detailed descriptions in the 

 general report, it will be sufficient to name the sources from which 

 collections were sent : 



The United States National Museum, Washington ; The Smith 

 sonian Institution, Washington; The University of Pennsylvania, 

 Philadelphia ; The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia; The 

 Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, Philadelphia; The Hemenway 

 Exploring Expedition, Boston; The Columbian Collection of Mr. W. E. 

 Curtis; The Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Eth 

 nology, Cambridge. 



These extensive collections covered in great part the archaeology and 

 ethnology of that portion of the American continent comprised within 

 the area of the United States, and threw much varied and new light 

 upon the early history of the discovery and exploration of the New 

 World by the white race. 



DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN HISTORY. 



It was originally intended to limir, the European display to objects 

 which would illustrate the culture status of Europe at the period of the 

 discovery of America; but later, and with good reason, the scope was 

 extended to embrace all that portion of the history of civilization in 

 Europe which was contemporaneous with the Conquest of the New 

 World, down to the middle of the eighteenth century. 



As my own time did not permit a close examination of this extensive 

 department, and as it may have less interest to those engaged in 

 researches strictly American, I will quote the brief but sufficiently full 

 description of it prepared for the trustees of the British Museum by 

 Mr. Charles Hercules Read, Assistant Keeper of the Department of 

 British and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethnography, Secretary of the 

 Society of Antiquaries of London, Vice-President of the Anthropolog 

 ical Institute, etc., who was sent by the museum to examine and report 



