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museums, which are mere collections of curiosities; these are 
brought before the public in the true showman style, and there 
is reason for believing are often very profitable as speculations. 
The only one of these which I visited is the well-known ‘‘ Museum” 
at Niagara Falls, which contains a varied collection of natural 
history and art objects. Ina conversation with its manager, I 
learnt many amusing particulars as to its history, When I 
suggested to him getting casts of certain objects, he replied that 
it would not do for him to exhibit anything but the genuine 
articles to Americans.” 
The Smithsonian Institution was of course visited, and Mr. 
Ball sums up its functions thus :— 
““The policy of the Smithsonian Institution is to initiate 
original plans for abstruse research, especially on lines not 
occupied by other organisations. It freely gives its publications 
and specimens without requiring an equivalent in return, and 
places its books, apparatus, and collections at the disposal of 
myestigators and students in any part of the world. It has been 
the chief promoter of scientific exploration and investigation of 
the climate, products, and antiquities of the continent by the 
United States and State Governments, societies, and indivi- 
duals.” 
Of the National Museum, Washington, we are told it is the 
authorised place of deposit for all objects of natural history, 
mineralogy, geology, archzology, ethnology, &c., belonging to 
the United States, or collected by the coast and interior surveys, 
or by any other parties for the Government of the United States, 
when no longer needed for investigations in progress. 
The contents of the Museum as they now stand have been 
made up from the following sources :— 
“J. The natural history and anthropological collections accu- 
mulated since 1850 by the efforts of the officers and correspond- 
ents of the Smithsonian Institution. 
“TT, The collectionsof the Wilkes’ exploring expedition, Perry 
expedition to Japan, and other naval expeditions. 
“TIT. The collections of the scientific officers of the Pacific 
Railroad Survey, the Mexican Boundary Survey, and of the 
surveys carried cn by the engineer corps of the Army. 
““TV. The collections of the United States Geological Surveys 
under the direction of the United States geologists, Messrs. 
Hayden, King, and Powell. E 
““V. The collections of the United States Fish Commission. 
“VI. The gifts by foreign Governments to the Museum or to 
the President and public officers, who are forbidden to receive 
them personally. 
““VII. The collections made by the United States to illustrate 
the animal and mineral resources, the fisheries, and the ethno- 
logy of the native races of the country on the occasion of the 
International Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876, and the fishery 
collections displayed by the United States in the International 
Fishery Exhibition at Berlin in 1880. 
““VIII. The collections given by the Governments of the 
several foreign nations, thirty in number, which participated in 
the Exhibition at Philadelphia. 
“‘TX. The industrial collections given by numerous manu- 
facturing and commercial houses of Europe and America at the 
time of the Philadelphia Exhibition and subsequently. 
‘*X. The material received in exchange for duplicate speci- 
mens from the museums of Europe, Asia, and Australasia, and 
from numerous institutions in North and South America. 
“*The United States Geological Survey, under the direction 
of Major Powell, at present has its offices in the Museum, but 
they will shortly be removed to spacious quarters which are being 
provided for them in the city.” 
Of the Museum, &c., of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 
Philadelphia, Mr. Ball gives the following interesting account :— 
“‘In a ‘Summary History of the Academy,’ by Dr. W. S. W. 
Ruschenberger, dated 1877, we are afforded a full insight into 
the origin and development of this, which is one of the oldest, 
if not the premier, society of the kind established in America. 
‘“Tts foundation originated in meetings held by a few Phila- 
delphian gentlemen in the years 1811 and 1812. Its opening 
meeting took place on March 21, 1812, and its objects, as then de- 
fined were the pursuit and cultivation of science to the exclusion of 
everything of a political or sectarian character. It was apparently 
because of this last declaration that a considerable amount of 
hostility was excited in religious and other portions of the 
Philadelphian community. The small band, consisting of fourteen 
members and thirty-three correspondents, although they were 
men engaged in business avocations, diligently pursued the aims 
they had in view in spite of all opposition, Their library and 
IMA BORE 
' & 
[August 20, 1885 
museum steadily augmented, and meetings were held and lectures 
delivered for the discussion and dissemination of scientific 
knowledge. 
** A fter various vicissitudes during the troubled years which fol- 
lowed, several removals to more commodious quarters took 
place, and in 1826 the Academy moved to a building which had 
been specially prepared for its reception, where two years later 
it was enabled to throw open its museum, entrance to which, 
from that time, for forty-two years, or up to 1870, was free to 
the public for two days in each week. In 1840 the museum and 
library had again been removed to a building which had been 
specially constructed for their reception at the cost of several 
liberal friends of the Academy. Yet again in 1876 a further 
migration took place to the present building, which is built of 
brick, faced with green serpentine, as are also many other public 
buildings in Philadelphia ; the style of the architecture is Col- 
legiate Gothic. The museum building and the valuable collec- 
tions which it contains owe their existence at the present day 
exclusively to the generous gifts and gratuitous labour of private 
individuals. 
‘‘The functions of the Academy are varied, owing to the 
different directions in which it operates. Its leading character- 
istics have been thus summed up: ‘It is scientific because it 
encourages original investigations to the extent of its ability, and 
publishes whatever investigators may discover for the informa 
tion of men of science. Its publications are made up entirely of 
the reported results of original research. 
‘<¢Tt is educational because itgives gratuitous instruction to 
the beneficiares of the Jessup fund, and opens its library freely 
to students. 
“¢<Tt is popular because it seeks to increase the taste for 
natural science, and spread knowledge by opening its Museum 
to the public.’ ” 
Recently the byelaws of the Academy have been modified in 
such a manner as to authorise the establishment of Professorships 
whenever endowments adequate to their support shall be made. 
Thirteen proposed Professorships are enumerated, and donations 
towards an endowment fund are invited which may yield from 
1500 to 3000 dollars a year for each year. 
“The library consists mainly of works on zoology and 
botany, but there is also a valuable collection of volumes on 
Roman, Greek, and French antiquities, and the collections of 
scientific pericdicals of learned societies, which have been largely 
obtained in exchange for those of the Academy itself, is very 
rich. In 1876 the library included about 25,coo volumes, since 
which time it may be presumed that considerable additions have 
been made. 
‘Under the direction of the Council of the Academy, the 
Museum is at present administered by Dr. Leidy, who is assisted 
by several other Curators. The internal arrangements, owing 
to overcrowding and the old-fashioned form of the cases, which 
have not been replaced from want of necessary funds, does not 
at first sight commend itself as affording any useful hints with 
reference to the subject of general Museum arrangement ; but the 
contents of many of these cases, as is well known to many men 
of science, are of great value, as they consist largely of types 
from which species have been originally described. Here, for 
instance, are to be found a portion of Gould’s famous collection 
of humming birds, many of Dr. Lea’s types of unios, and Dr. 
Leidy and Prof. Cope’s fossil vertebrates. Among these last, most 
notable is the Hadvosaurus, an ideal restoration of which rears 
its lofty frame in a prominent position in the main gallery. 
More is now known as to the characteristics of those kangaroo-_ 
like reptiles (Deinosaurs) than was the case when Dr. Leidy 
named this one after its discoverer, Mr. Foulke. The ornitho- 
logical collection, which is one of the largest in the world, con- 
tains, in addition to the humming-birds already mentioned, 
numerous rare specimens, one of them being the now extinct 
Great Awk, of which there is another example in the New York 
Museum of Natural History. The collection of shells which 
is under the custody of Mr. Tyron is renowned for its extent 
and value. 
“The Herbarium is considered by good authorities to be one 
of the richest, if not the richest, in the United States. In 1876 
it contained upwards of 46,000 species of plants. It was com- 
menced in 1812, since which time it has absorbed many private 
collections, either given or bequeathed to it by their owners 
or purchased out of funds provided by friends of the Academy. 
Besides a general collection of minerals there is a special one 
which was bequeathed by the late Mr. Vaux, who also left a 
sum of money to provide an endowment fund for the payment 
"7 
