NEW DOMINION MUSEUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14971, 19 April 1912, Page 8

NEW DOMINION MUSEUM.

INTERESTING RELICS. ' ■ ') SOME FAMOUS COLLECTIONS, r '.'l , , , ■■ 'V- • I'' .""■•" The new Dominion Museum in Welling, - ton, when erected, will, it is claimed, have the finest collection of Maori speck : mens in the world. It will, of'course, : elude the magnificent collection "lade'byMS the late Sir Walter Duller ad presented : to Now Zealand last year by his son, Mr. '' -: Leo Buller, on condition that a suitabla building was provided to house it. t »*'', f? ( { Writing from England to Mr. A. Hamilton, director of the museum, Mr. Biiller says ho has visited Maori collections else- H where, and lie thinks that the one which ' iwill be exhibited in the- projected museum 1 (comprising tho gift above mentioned) will ;. compare very favourably with any known collection of the kind. He adds that he'Kf .§g is sending out further contributions, and ■'IT expresses a hope that it will not be long j ; |i before tho building is read;;. ,• •', The Captain Cook relics, which arrived '- in Wellington by the Corinthic on Tuesday last, are of exceptional interest, and will form a most valuable addition to the collection now so poorly housed in the pre- ' sent Dominion Museum. The Minister for - Internal Affairs (Hon. G. W. Eiiijsel!) in- : formed a reporter that they were ■ purchased by the predecessors of the present * a Lord St. Oswald, who is donating them to the Government on behalf of the people of New Zealand, at tho sale oi ±>tuloi;ns ' * Museum, which was exhibited in the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, London, in . ' 1819, having previously been offered, to ! the Homo Government for £50,000. They, ;, ["- ' were acquired at public auction, and have '.' f>* remained in the possession of the Oswald, \\\ family at Noßtel Priory, Wakefield, Yorkshire, ever since. '

It is interesting to note that the eollec- \, I tion includes the catalogue of articles sold W at the sale, and that it, is one of threa I copies iii existence. Of the other two,' If one is in the British Museum, and the ■ If other is at Cambridge. The collection includes the feather cloak .: I and helmet particularly described in Cap- i i; tain Cook's journal as having been pre«|B sented to him by the chief Terreobw ■ (Tiarreboo, or Taiarapu) shortly before Jus : : death. The chief himself threw the cloakj&'Hj over Cook, and placed the helmet on;)jigw|| head, the natives at that time regarding Cook almost os a god. There is also in llie j f collection a cloak made principally of the' black feathers of the powhee bird, bor- 1 dered with red and yellow; a fly flicker 1 belonging to Captain Cook, the handle : I being made of tho i-oue arm of a chid : , | taken in battle;" a military gorget worn < J by the warriors of Otakeile ; two nose flute* I from tho Sandwich Islands; a very; Jp fiS|» 1 cutting knife edged with sharks' teeth j: 1 two idols, and jade stone from New '/•Wtfij land; spears, war clubs, paddles, and at- • I rows; waist cloth of mother-of-pearl.^an• 1 African horn, two African fans, .; nd ~a, pouch; flint and bone instrument?, an£|3|j§|fl on. , '. .. ,- ' .''. f^),! t A deputation from (lie Early Settlers' J '$ and Historical Association of Wellington's waited upon the Minister for Internal Afv j fairs (Hon. G. W. Russell) in Wcllingtoii||w.J| last Monday to ask that provision be n sfßi in the proposed new Dominion Museum for the storage of records of early Wcl-V lington and objects of cognate interest.:;':!? The Hon. J. K. Jenkimson, .M.L.C.. introduced the' deputation,,' and the other speakers were Dr. R. A. Cameron and At. Ekdoii.Bost. ; • .' '■ " The Minister expressed sympathy with the object of the association, but said tie ; desired to maintain a distinction between the early records of Wellington and tlio Y-" early records of New Zealand. 15u far m ' the distinctly "Wellington section was . con- ; cerned he thought the City Council should > bo asked to provide accommodation in I'oklfM nection with the Public Library. Hoi understood that there was in tho ham!.) of the council a .sum of £400 or : &00, which, -he would -suggest,'! should be used j' , : for this purpose. lie himself desired to! 11 ';, start a campaign for a purely national ooPSi lection, which " would ■ be housed in lln \ museum, and he proposed to get into con;- , munication with London with' a view to obtaining from the Imperial Government Ml records of value concerning the foundation and colonisation of New Zealand;' He also Hoped to get into toitcli with the families , <■ of past Prime Ministers of New Zealand in the hope that they might bo able to -' j furnish records that would.be of interest in connection with the careers of those- ' ! statesmen. Furthermore, the Minister said; 'lie , ; hoped to obtain records' of the various' regiments .that took; part in the Maori Wars, and , records relating to the Boer 'M War. penny postage, etc.' He would assist the Wellington Association in any Way-"he m I could, and he would bo glad of its• sym- , pathy and assistance in the laj-ger^scbetWMw l which he had outlined. ' H l^pl