64 
THE INDIAN MUSEUM: 1814-1914. 
and complete the new collections in a systematic way that 
would meet the wants of the scientific enquirer as well as of 
the manufacturer or merchant, and provide instruction and 
recreation for the general public. 
In 1888, the Government of Bengal was able to commence 
the construction of the wing in Sudder Street, which it had 
in 1882 undertaken to erect. The wing was finished in 
1891, and Mr. Thurston, who was then acting for Dr. Watt 
as Reporter on Economic Products in executive charge of 
the Economic and Art Section, removed all the collections of 
economic products, artware and ethnology into the new build¬ 
ing. The Art Gallery was opened to the public in September 
1892; but much remained to be done to get the economic 
collection into a fit state for exhibition. 
About this time a new system was inaugurated for mak¬ 
ing a collection of economic products. Various exhibitions 
held in Europe and elsewhere required samples of products, 
and they were supplied from the Museum stock or obtained 
by the staff of the Economic Section. The preparation of 
a permanent exhibit at the Imperial Institute afforded an 
excellent opportunity for collecting new material of which 
duplicates were retained and utilized in building up the 
present Economic Court. New registers were started, and 
new fittings were obtained which were calculated to pre¬ 
serve the samples from dust and damp. Dr. Watt de¬ 
signed the arrangements of the ^ourt, and in 1899 made a 
tour throughout India to collect specimens of commercial 
interest. The Economic Court was opened to the public on 
May 29th, 1901, when the registers recorded 15,185 specimens 
in addition to a few articles belonging to the Bengal Economic 
Museurii. The collection continued to expand and during 
the years 1904 to 1910 received between 700 and 800 samples 
a year. A selection of the most instructive specimens are 
exhibited in the court while a large number of cereals, pulses 
and drugs are registered and kept in the herbarium for 
scientific study. 
The collections in this gallery are arranged in eight bays 
under the following subjects :— 
