INTRODUCTION. 
7 
order emerged as the erection of the Museum building made 
slow progress. It was realized before long that the building 
as planned could not possibly find accommodation for the 
Asiatic Society in addition to the Geological Survey and the 
Natural History Museum; it further became apparent that 
if the Asiatic Society were squeezed into the Museum building, 
its position as an independent body would be liable to be 
seriously affected. The Society consequently expressed its 
unwillingness to enter a building where accommodation was 
insufficient and freedom of action was liable to be cramped. 
The position thus created was one of great embarrassment, 
but the difficulty was solved by a committee consisting of 
one of the most sagacious administrators and one of the 
acutest scientists in the country, Sir Ashley Eden and Dr. 
Thomas Oldham. Upon their joint recommendation, the 
Government of India paid to the Asiatic Society a sum of 
one and a half lacs of rupees as compensation for its claim 
to accommodation in the projected Museum building. 
Doubts were expressed at the time as to the propriety of the 
course thus adopted, but after the lapse of nearly half a 
century, no one will venture to dispute that the arrangement 
has been highly beneficial to both the institutions and has 
fostered their growth and development. 
We have now arrived at the stage at which the Museum 
ceased to be the property of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 
and was transformed into an Imperial Institution, but it was 
not till 1875 that the Museum building, one of the largest 
in this city, became ready for occupation. ^ 
As may be anticipated, the transference of the zoologi¬ 
cal and archaeological sections to the new building, and the 
arrangement of the specimens was a work of much labour 
and anxiety. This was successfully accomplished by Dr. 
John Anderson, who formerly held the Professorship of 
Natural Science in the Free Church College at Edinburgh, and 
was appointed the first curator on the 29th September, 1866. 
immediately after the Statute by which the Museum was 
established had been passed. A few years later Dr. 
Anderson’s designation of Curator was changed to that of 
Superintendent, and he was also permitted by the Board of 
