9 
Commissioners of the Central Park ; and it was made the duty of the 
Board to enclose, lay out, grade, regulate, drain and improve the 
same ; and by subsequent enactment in 186S the Board was authorized 
to erect, establish, conduct and maintain on the Central Park, a Meteor- 
ological and Astronomical Observatory, a Museum of Natural History 
and a Gallery of Art, and the buildings therefor, and to accept gifts, 
devises and bequests upon suitable conditions. 
Although the Board of Comniissioners was thus early clothed with 
ample authority to establish within the Park a variety of museums 
that would afford the means of popular cultivation and innocent recre- 
ation, yet tliey have felt that, to insure the proper management of sucli 
institutions, it would be bettor to leave them to the care of private 
associations than for the Board to expend public money in the purchase 
of specimens of Natural History or works of Art ; and in giving 
encouragement to private organizations, the Board made known at its 
outset that not only the object of the Association must be approved, 
but its sound organization and imdoubted ability to command the means 
necessary to accomplish its purposes according to a high standard of 
excellence, must be first demoustrated. It was, therefore, with feelings 
of great satisfaction, that the Commissioners, on the 30th of December, 
1868, received a letter from a number of well-known citizens, inquiring 
if the Board was disposed to provide for the reception and development 
of a Museum of Natural History. 
In reply to this letter the Comptroller of the Park wrote, that " the 
Commissioners will very gladly receive the Collection to which you 
allude, and will use their best exertions toward the establishment of a 
Museum of Natural History of an extent and excellence in all its 
departments that will be creditable to the City ; and in their efforts 
toward the development of such an institution, the Commissioners of 
the Park will ])ighly esteem your valuable co-operation." 
In pursuance of the authority vested in the Commissioners of the 
Central Park, and in accordance with suitable rules and regulations, 
the building known as the Arsenal, situate on tlie east side of the 
Park, was carefully fitted up and arranged for the temporary reception 
and proper exhibition of a rare and most valuable collection of objects 
of Natural Hi.slory. which had been gathered under the patronage of 
the American Museum of Natural History— a society composed of 
some of our most pubhc-spiritcd citizens, and ofi'ering every guarantee 
