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The Evolution of Museums. 



The first museum, or, at any rate, the most important 

 museum of antiquity, was the institution at Alexandria, estab- 

 lished by Ptolemy Philadelphus in the third century before 

 Christ. This museum was founded for the promotion of learn- 

 ing and the support of students. It formed part of the palace 

 and contained cloisters, a public lecture-room, and a common 

 hall, with botanical and zoological gardens attached. It was 

 supported by a grant from the treasury, and was under the 

 superintendence of a priest nominated by the king, and after 

 Egypt became a Roman province, by the emperor. In the 

 language of modern times it would be called an academy, or 

 perhaps a college or university. After Alexandria passed under 

 Roman rule its prosperity began to decline ; its public buildings 

 were allowed to fall into disrepair, its works of art were 

 removed to Italy : and by the end of the fourth century of our 

 era it had well nigh been ruined and the museum closed. 



Dr. David Murray, F.S.A., has recently issued a valuable 

 work on ' Museums ; their History and their Use,'"''' in which he 

 has gathered together an enormous amount of material bearing 

 on the question. He has given a description of the ' Earliest 

 known Museums and Collections,' an interesting account of 

 * The Beginning of the British Museum,' and notes on ' Special 

 Collections,' 'Scottish Museums,' 'Museums as Shows,' 'Dis- 

 persion of Museums,' ' Non-Scientific Character of Early 

 Museums,' 'The Arrangement of Old Museums,' 'The Modern 

 Museum,' ' Use of Museums.' These are some of the headings 

 culled from the table of contents, which will define the scope of 

 this valuable work. Mr. Murray evidently likes to begin at 

 the beginning. ' Those authors who undertake to treat of 

 Museums in a thorough and exhaustive manner find in Noah's 

 Ark the most complete Museum of Natural History that the 

 world has ever seen. Coming to later times, they make sure 

 that King Solomon had a collection of curiosities ; and when 

 King Hezekiah in a boastful mood showed the envoys of the 

 Kings of Babylon all the house of his precious things, the silver 

 and gold, and the spices and the precious oil, and all that was 

 found in his treasures, they are certain that he took them round 

 his museum.' Perhaps the revival of learning in the fifteenth 

 century which led to such an admiration of monuments of 

 classical antiquity and a desire for their preservation resulted 

 in the formation of the museum as we know it to-day. Between 

 1450 and 1550 the Popes and Princes permitted and carried on 

 Three volumes. Glasgfow : James MacLehose & Sons. 30s. 



Naturalist, 



