D. C. Danielssen. 



29 



interest. The stuffed animals and birds bore but little resemblance 

 to the same creatures when living; the collection of things kept in 

 spirits were badly preserved in weak brandy, and displayed in 

 dusty and almost opaqne jam jars of most varied forms on open 

 shelves ; skeletons were hung up along the walls on a sort of gal- 

 lows, and were smeared over with a brown varnish which made 

 them look like fossils. Every thing too was crowded up in such 

 insufficient space and small rooms, partly in the older museum building, 

 called the President's dwelling, which was used till the present building 

 was finished, and which was a mere tumbledown ruin, more like a 

 lumber room than a receptacle for collections. Moreover at the begin- 

 ning of 1850 the economy of the institution was in a very bad condi- 

 tion. The "New building" had been built by means of shares, on 

 which 4 per cent interest had to be paid, and in the paying of 

 interest and redeeming of letters of credit a great part of the 

 receipts, not in themselves very large 1 ), were absorbed, so that 

 little remained for enlarging the collection, and reducing it to 

 systematic order. It was imperative to increase the receipts, 

 but it could not be expected that the state should support a 

 private concern which kept its treasures so carefully locked up from 

 outsiders, especially when so much of the income had to be spent 

 in a manner that so little furtheryed the objects of the institution 

 as the payment of interest. 2 ) 



It was plain that a complete change had to be made in the 

 whole plan, in order that the museum might become a public institution, 

 that could really benefit the people of Western Norway. Then only, 

 one might hope for increased contributions from the public funds, 

 to escape from the pecuniary troubles, get money to increase 

 the collections, and to arrange them properly in a new and 

 suitable building. New energy and power was required for the 

 guidance of the association, that the old ways which had been most 

 useful, but had now overlived their day, might be done away 

 with, and the museum be transformed from a private cabinet of 

 curiosities into a real museum, where the natural history of 



The receipts amounted in 1850 to 173 £, all included, but of this 

 sum 42 1. went in payment of interest. In the years immediately preceeding, 

 affairs had been still worse. 



2 ) In 1850 the expenditure on procuring objects for the collections was 

 only £ 25. both for the natural history and antiquarian departments. 



