2 
GROUND FLOOR. 
Against the pier between the iron Gates which lead to 
the great staircase, is a statue of the late Sir Joseph 
Banks, by Chantrey. It represents the great naturalist, 
not as he was in his latter days, feeble and lame, but 
hale and vigorous; he is seated in an arm-chair, holding 
a scroll in his left hand. The figure is raised upon a 
marble pedestal. Presented by the personal Friends , at 
•whose expense the statue was made. 
On the other side of the pier, is a specimen of Hindoo 
sculpture, discovered in 1809, near the banks of the 
sacred river Nerbudda; a fragment, probably, of an 
ancient temple. Presented by D. D. Inglis, Esq. 
Before the window on the left, adjoining the messenger’s 
small room, is a fine Hippopotamus. Presented by the 
Trustees of the Hunterian Collection of the Royal College 
of Surgeons. 
By the side of the staircase, in the passage leading to 
the Gallery of Antiquities, are three specimens of the 
genus Rhinoceros, from Southern Africa,—viz., R. Ketloa 
— R. Africanus, young—and R. Simus. These animals 
were obtained by the expedition sent by “ The Cape of 
Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa,” 
under the direction of Dr. Andrew Smith, and “ as re¬ 
gards Natural History, the discovery of the Rhinoceros 
Ketloa, is probably one of the most important-and in¬ 
teresting results of the expedition. Previous to June 
*1835, t his species was not known.” * The three speci- 
J^^^mens were purchased at the sale of the South African 
Museum, at the Egyptian Hall, in June 1838. 
The decorations of the great staircase were restored a 
few years ago by Rigaud. The paintings on the ceiling, 
representing Phaeton petitioning Apollo for leave to drive 
his chariot, are by Charles de la Fosse, who, in his time, 
was deemed one of the bestcolouristsof the French school, 
and of whom there are many valuable performances in 
France ; among which are the paintings on the cupola of 
the dome of the invalids, which are ranked among the 
admiranda of Paris. The landscapes and architectural 
decorations are by James Rousseau, whose particular 
skill in perspective has at all times been held in high 
estimation. 
* Catalogue of the South African Museum, p. 7. 
