LINKS WITH THE PAST-

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14658, 6 May 1913, Page 8

LINKS WITH THE PAST-

A STONE BUDDHA FROM JAVA.

CHRISTCHURCH MUSEUM

ACQUISITIONS

Some interesting exhibits have found their way into the Christchurch Museum during the last few days. A link with the past is an excellently preserved copy of ; 'The Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford Mercury," of March 21st, 179-1. Tho contents on .its front page are interesting. About a column and a half is devoted to despatches "cribbed" from tho '".London Gazette," telling of the latest operations with the .French en both land and sea, despatches which, in a twentieth century journal, would be "starred," bufc in this quaint littie relic of the- past treated in a delightfully matter-of-course way, jumbled up together in casual fashion, with nothing to givo tho anxious reader an idea of what they contain unless he patiently reads through tho lot. Following tho war news appears a House of Commons report, and then appears general news. Two extracts from the general news are entertaining. One is delicious; tho other instructive. Here they are:— "A glutton at Paris has been transferred over to the police charged with consuming 213 pounds of provisions between tho oth and the 28th of last month."

'On Tuesday fortnight, five Roman Catholic clergymen were admitted to degrees in tho University of Dublin, being the first gentlemen avowedly of that Teligious persuasion ever admitted."

Beforo one's eyes can depart from tho general news they are arrested by il J l a <l- relating to the superior virtues of „ apilsbury's Antiscorbutic Drops, and a request for "a youth of good morals to serve as apprentice to a fcurgeor., etc., in good practice." In those election times it must also bo of interest to know that two candidates advertised offering themselves Ito the noblemen, gentlemen, clergy, and freeholders of the county of Lincoln as coroner, Mr Cooper having iesigned." "

How many of those noblemen, gentlemen, clergy, nnd freeholders were perforce bound afterwards to give the aspiring coroners something to do tor their money? Last, but not .least, it must be mentioned that q into a goodly part of a column is devoted to proclaiming tho attractions of various "high-class liquors."

i. T x h i? 'l¥ ercur 3''" of which the copy Museum is No. 3289, Volume XiAUI., was printed at Stamford, "by and for, C. Peat and 11. Newcomb." f*» I* ,0 ? wa « 3id, and it circulated through every town and populous village in the counties of Lincoln, Rutland, Leicester, Isle of Ely, Northampton, .Nottingham, part of Camlindge. Huntingdon, Norfolk, and The "Mercury" was presented to tho Museum by Mrs Basil J. Carter, whilst "t of ho firsfc number of tho Lyttelton Times," together with a copy of the prospectus of tho paper, dated August sth. 1850, has been presented by Mr l>. F. Moeller. Another interesting acquisition is a f 1 ™n» vi stone from Java, presented by Mr G J. Black. Jt comes from tho Hindoo temple of Chandi. Kalasan, //9, A.D., Plains of i'ogyakaita Purambanan. In the same case is a household Buddha from Japan, recently acquired by the Museum. Both images are about eighteen inches in .height.

Another lmk with the past which ha 3 found its way into the Museum, takes the form of bricks from a Roman road rrade by Augustus Caesar, at Alassio! """ '■ V T aM * ' i New Zealand's past is also represented in the shape of a block of sandstone containing the footprint of a Moa.;.Mr^ar J, Black "wm the donor of this exhibit, togethor with an accompanying photograph. ".PefibP 3 * oe most instructive exhibit of all, and on© that would bring vjoy ■to tW heart of a philatelist, is a complete collection of New Zealand stamps, and also tho stamps of this l>onunion's dependencies, these being * h « stamps of Nine, Cook Islands", Aitutake, and *Penrhyn Island. Tho Museum is indebted to-tho Hon. R. Heaton, Rhodes, Postmaster-General, *or this fine exhibit. :