THE HARTWELL MUSEUM 87 



These unguents and perfumes were costly, odori- 

 ferous, and lasting. I was shown at the Hartwell 

 Museum a perfect little vase, made of so-called 

 alabaster, about four inches high, containing a portion 

 of brown matter, g-ivinaf out an unctuous smell, a 

 residue of some costly scented ointment. Such was 

 the skill of the Egyptians in the art of perfumery, 

 and so strong was the odour of the perfume, that the 

 scent still remained some thousands of years after. 

 The museum at Hartwell, which had been stocked 

 by the learned doctor, was a strange medley, con- 

 taining many interesting and valuable remains of 

 remote antiquity, mixed up with wax models of mon- 

 strous potatoes, gigantic gooseberries, huge speci- 

 mens of apples, and other garden produce grown by 

 cottagers on the estate. Amongst the pictures in 

 the mansion were some fine examples of Rembrandt 

 and Vandyke. So little did Dr. Lee respect the 

 amenities of his stately mansion, that when he built 

 that vile excrescence of an observatory on to his 

 state drawing-room window, the entrance to which 

 was through the principal apartments, finding that 

 some noble trees in the park somewhat obstructed 

 his view of the stellar world, he did not hesitate to 

 ruthlessly cut the trunks down halfway, and thus 

 ruined the most beautiful portion of the estate. My 

 intimacy with this interesting country gentleman 

 enabled me to make the acquaintance of many learned 

 gentlemen, in addition to Admiral Smyth and Mr. 

 Glaisher, of Greenwich fame, such as J. Bonomi, 

 the celebrated Egyptian traveller ; Pettigrew, the 



