HISTORICAL INTEODUCTION. 
11 
Fowke, E.E., and then referred the three premiated plans to the 
Trustees of the British Museum. As the internal arrangements ■ 
in Captain Fowke's plan did not meet with the approval of the 
Museum ofiicers, he was desired to modify them in conformity 
with the requirements of the Trustees. He was engaged in this 
labour when his death occurred, in September, 1865. 
Early in the year 1866, Mr. Alfred Waterhouse was invited by Mr. Water- 
the Chief Commissioner of Works to take up the unfinished work engaged, 
of Captain Fowke ; but he found himself unable to complete the 
plan to his own satisfaction, and in February, 1868, he was com- 
missioned to form a fresh design, embodying the requirements of 
the officers of the Natural History Departments of the Museum. 
Mr. Waterhouse was not lon^ in submittinc^ to the Trustees his 
plan and model of the building, with a disposition of galleries as 
required, and these w^ere formally accepted by the Trustees in 
April, 1868. It was not, however, until February, 1871, that 
the working plans had been thoroughly considered, and received 
the final approval of the Trustees. 
The actual work of erection was commenced in the year 1873, Completion of 
and the building was handed over to the Trustees of the British j^^af of^^ 
Museum by Her Majesty's Commissioner of Works in the Collections, 
month of June, 1880. Immediately that the exhibition cases 
were completed, and the galleries were sufficiently dry to receive 
the collections, the great labour of removing the ISTatural History 
Collection from Bloomsbury was commenced. The departments 
of Geology, Mineralogy and Botany, were arranged in their 
respective sections of the Museum in the course of the year 1880, 
and the portion of the Museum which contained these departments 
was first opened to the public on April 18th, 1881. It was not 
until the following year that the cases destined to receive the 
larger collections of the Zoological Department were sufficiently 
complete to allow of these collections following, and three more 
years were required before all the rooms could be brought into a 
state fitted for public inspection. The last that was opened was 
the gallery devoted to British Zoology, in May, 1886. 
The following description of the structure has been contri- 
buted by Mr. Waterhouse : — 
" The New Natural History Museum will, from its position, Description of 
always be more or less identified with the International biding. 
