62 
THE INDIAN MUSEUM: 1814»*1914. 
Woodlands, but in December 1873, it was decided to utilize 
the Customs House godowns abutting on Dalhousie Square ; 
here it remained until 1879, when the site was required for 
the office of the East Indian Railway Company. In 1879 it 
was moved to 12, Hastings Street, a house at the corner of 
Hastings Street and the Strand.Road, which was unfortu¬ 
nately far too small for an adequate arrangement of the cases 
and samples for exhibition purposes. Records show that by 
December 1874, 2217 specimens had been received and 
catalogued; one year later, 4405; at the end of 1876, 8586; 
at the end of 1877, 12,140; 1878, 13,382; 1879, 13,745; 
1880, 13,937; 1881, 14,519. The museum made no progress 
after its change to Hastings Street. The removal in 1879 
carried out in little over a month threw the collection into 
great disorder, and for a time the exhibition was closed. In 
1880, the committee wished to publish a guide book, but 
nobody with sufficient knowledge and leisure was available. 
A grant of Rs. 1,000 for an illustrated catalogue on the drug 
collection was sanctioned by the Government of Bengal. 
The preparation of this book was entrusted to Dr. Kanny 
Lall Dey, but ill-health prevented its completion. 
The Bengal Economic Museum at Hastings Street was 
re-opened to the public on July 24, 1882, but the neglect 
of recent years had destroyed many of the specimens, the 
stock of bottles had long been exhausted and new presenta¬ 
tions were not properly displayed for exhibition. Next year 
the committee of the Calcutta International Exhibition in 
searching for exhibits obtained permission from Government 
to secure the large collection of the local Museum. The 
Calcutta Exhibition was opened on the 4th December, 1883, 
and the Economic Court was a temporary structure on the 
maidan facing the present main building of the Indian 
Museum. The following collections found a place in that 
Court: — 
1. The entire collection of the Bengal Economic 
Museum. 
2. Collections of Economic Products and Indian Art- 
ware made by the Revenue and Agricultural 
Department of the Government of India. 
