Auckland's Indebtedness to Sir George Grey.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 52, 29 August 1895, Page 3

Auckland's Indebtedness to Sir George Grey.

At the public meeting held in Auokland last week, at whioh it was decided to ereot a statue in recognition of Sir George Grey's services to the community, Sir George's bequests to the Public Library were summarised as follows :— The total number of books in the Grey collection, ranging from 1460 to date, was 12,527 ; manusoripts, f com 10th century to 1890, 350 j Cromwell Treaty and manusoripts, 17; Treaty ceding the Island of Java to Great Britain, 1; autograph letters from 1797 to date, 3200 ; maps, charts, and plans, surveys of oolonies, Ac, 400 ; fac-similes of anoient manußoripts from British Musenm, 33; important telegrams, 11; illuminated and other addresses, 350; total, 16,870. (Applause.) Turning to the Art Gallery, Sir George had given oil and water-colour paintings (including many specimens of the great masters),. 55 ; New Zealand and African wood-carvings, and Polynesian, 300 ; Maori mats of muoh value (15) and war flags (7), 22 ; greenstone meres and implements (New Zealand and China), 33; bone meres, 10; China vases, &0., 39; gold articles (17), silver (22), oopper (13), 52; bronze casting of Napoleon's head, 1; Polynesian onrios, 118; total, G2O. The special features of the collection were : (1) The illuminated missals and manusoripts in Greek, Latin, and other languages 10th century to 1890 ; (2) early printed books from 1460 to date; (3) students' mathematical, classical, and law libraries ; (4) the Soripfares in nearly 200 languages, of whioh one copy only oost .£2500 ; (5) uolleotion of mannsoriptß and books relating to Polynesia generally ; (6) papers and doouments of bir G. Grey from his entering the Royal Military College, including all his appointments signed by Her Majesty. The gift was valued by a competent vainer in London in 1886, as ■tatedintheLondonTimet,at^3o,ooo. Since then it has been increased about .£SOOO.