INTRODUCTION, 
15 
the members of the Asiatic Society; but^ as I have already 
indicated, a substantial portion of these exhibits was trans¬ 
ferred to the Museum only after the close of the Calcutta 
Exhibition of 1883-84. 
Until quite recently, the ethnological collections also 
were included in the economic section; they comprise wea¬ 
pons, implements, clothing, and other articles used by the 
various Indian tribes and races, and also life-size models of 
typical individuals of these tribes which were carefully pre¬ 
pared on the occasion of the Calcutta Exhibition. Some of 
the models of mechanical appliances can be traced as 
far back as 1828, while a collection of Javanese weapons is 
said to have been presented to the Asiatic Society at an even 
earlier period by Sir Stamford Raffles, who was British 
Governor of Java in 1815. Perhaps the most notable single 
addition to this collection is the fine set of Indian musical 
instruments presented by our distinguished fellow-citizen 
Raja Sir Sourindra Mohun Tagore. 
Finally, we have the art collections, which have a 
history entirely different from that of the exhibits in the 
other sections. Some of these were transferred from the 
Industrial Section as recently as 1910, but a very consider¬ 
able proportion is the property of the Government of Bengal 
and owe their preservation to the energy and enthusiasm of 
successive Principals of the Calcutta School of Art; this 
observation applies with special appropriateness to the 
pictures, which were selected principally by Mr. E. B. Havell 
and Mr. Percy Brown. 
There is only one other aspect of our activities to which 
I propose to invite your attention, namely, the distinguished 
part taken by this institution in the noble cause of the 
advancement of knowledge. It would be difficult to over¬ 
estimate the importance of the biological and geological 
research strenuously carried out by our officers, though it is 
by no means easy to assign, except in the case of zoology, 
the precise share of credit for such work to the Indian 
Museum as distinct from the related scientific departments 
of Government. It may be maintained, without risk of 
