Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
/ 
During the first years great difficulty was experienced in 
securing the services of a suitable person as Curator to the 
voung Institution. The collections were yet too small and 
unimportant to warrant the appointment of a qualified Museum 
expert, yet the interest that was manifested by the farmer 
population especially made the collection extend so soon that 
judicious organisation and scientific classification of the many 
objects became an absolute necessity. At last one of the 
members of the Board of Management, Dr. H. G. Breyer, 
accepted the honorary Curatorship and the name of this 
scientist, who had done so much for the sake of education 
as member of the teaching staff of the “Gymnasium” and as 
Director of the School of Mines, was sufficient guarantee that 
henceforth the work of the Museum should be performed 
and led in a thorough and scientific way. 
Soon, however, the 'work became too much for an 
Honorary Curator, who necessarily could only devote a few 
hours a week to the work, and a permanent Director was 
appointed in 1896, 'when Dr. J. W. B. Gunning undertook 
the duties of the newly created post. 
A few months later Mr. Swierstra was appointed Ento 
mological Assistant, and Miss Leendertz Botanical Assistant ; 
Dr. Gough joined the Museum Staff in 1906 as Assistant for 
Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates except insects. 
With the exception of the mounted collections above 
referred to, all the exhibits were mounted in the Museum, 
first by Mr. Wilde, after him by Messrs Krantz and Griffin ; 
Mr. Noome, who is at present the only Taxidermist, joined 
the Museum in 1897. 
When the Museum was started the collections were housed 
in a small room next to the clock-room in the top storey of 
the Government Buildings, but this room very soon became 
too small and besides it was not easy of access to visitors, 
and the small Market Hall in Market Square was then hired 
and the collections transferred thither. Here the Museum 
remained till 1902 ; the new building at present in use was 
commenced in 1899 — the foundation stone was laid by the 
Superintendent of Education on the 22nd July, 1899 — but 
the unfortunate war interfered with the building operations, 
which were not completed until 1902, when it was opened 
to the public by the Acting Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Richard 
Solomon, on 15th December, 1904. During the last years of 
the old Government the Institution had a yearly grant of 
