71 

 F7X 



The Lewis Brooks Museum 



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CORCORAN SCHOOL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



The University of Virginia owes its present excellent 

 facilities for the teaching of Natural History mainly to the 

 enlightened liberality of two men, on whom she could make 

 no claim in virtue of their being either her alumni, or 

 natives of Virginia. 



In 1876, Mr. Lewis Brooks, of Rochester, New York, 

 through Prof. Henry A. Ward of the same city, acting as 

 his agent, oifered to establish at the University a complete 

 and costly Museum of Natural History, provided that other 

 friends of the University would raise the sum of $12,000 to 

 defray the expense of purchasing the necessary cases, and 

 to pay for the mounting, transportation, &c. 



Mr. Brooks, in making this offer, was influenced only 

 by his desire to promote the cause of education at an insti- 

 tution which was known to him only as being especially 

 representative of the South, and as having been founded by 

 Mr. Jefferson, of whom he was a devoted admirer. 



In making this offer Mr. Brooks was also entirely disin- 

 terested, for he directed that his name should be withheld, 

 and up to the time of his death no member of the Faculty, 

 or Board of Visitors even, was in possession of it, except 

 the Rector, to whom, as the representative of the Univer- 

 sity, it was necessarily made known* 



