GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19328, 15 May 1926, Page 13

GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM.

v» PAST MONTH'S LONG LIST. THE WEBSTER COLLECTION. " UNIQUE AND MAGNIFICENT." Over forty separate gifts, some of great value, have been received by the Auckland Museum in • the past month. All were duly acknowledged at yesterday's meeting of'.the council of the Auckland Institute,' and votes of thanks were passed to the donors. The most important of the gifts are a notable collection of Maori articles presented by Mr. George "Webster, of-Pulii-puhi. , This has already been described in the Herald. It includes a beautifullyearved and polished wooden feeding funnel. one of only four known to exist, anch a fine carved box made to contain huia, feathers. The widow of the late Colonel C. E. P. .Mackesy has presented a number of Eastern daggers and other weapons obtained by her husband in Egypt and Palestine while serving with the New Zealand K xped i t ion ary Force. Other gifts have been made by the following:—Mr. George Graham. 17 Maori and Island articles, added to the Graham collection; the president, Mr. H. E. Yaile, a carved sinker and a large stone adze with spiral carving on the butt; Mr. A. G. Lunn. a collection of palaeolithic flint implements from England; Mr. J. Kenderdine. large and fine old piece of tapa, shown in tho 1851 exhibition, two Maori cloaks and some Island clubs : Rev. Angus Macdonald. collection of Maori adzes; Mrs. White, collection of Pacific Island articles; the Egypt Exploration Society, restored vase of painted pottery from Tel-el-Amarna. and cast of a carving; Mrs. Puddock, Have lock North, manuscript history of the Ngatimaru people, owners of the carved house Hotonui, now in (he institute's possession, giving the histories of many individuals commemorated in the carvings upon the house.

Mr. H. Kemp, Fanning Island crab; Mrs. P. C. Tail, ceremonial adze, Mangaia; Mr. E S. Koliu, walking stick, Solomon Islands; Mr. C. J. Smith, lead piping gnawed by rats; Mr. D. H. McKenzie. Fiji kit: Miss Holt, two Maori kits; Mr. A. Carter, adze found at Ellerslie: Mr. J. J.-"Bishop, stone adzes, found at Titirangi; Mr. R, Mettam, pair of powder-horns; Master V. Bahr. military badge; Mr. A. Grover, four stone adzes found at Orakau; Mr. W. Green, picture from Illustrated London News, showing scene at old Auckland post office; Mr. F. .T. Iledfern, document from Salonika, 1917; Mr. J. "West, two decorated wall-tiles from Pewsham Abbev, Wilts.

It was announced that the deposit collections had been augmented by a. number of.lsland and Maori articles gathered by the late Mr. John White, author of "Ancient History, of the Maori. and handed over to the museum by his daughters, the Misses-White.

The General Trust Board of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland had deposited ft number of valuable books on birds by Q. Gould, for the use of students. In moving that the donors be sincerely thanked, Mr. Vailc remarked that Mr. Webster's gift was one of the most magnificent. that the museum had ever received. The carved funnel was almost . unique; nothing cjuitc like it was known, and the museum was most fortunate in obtaining The curator, Mr. G. Archey mentioned that only three finely-carved old funnels had been traced, and all were outside New Zealand. One was in the British Museum, one in the Robley collection, and the whereabouts of the third were not known, at present. The motion was carred.