THE MUSEUM. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4240, 20 September 1875, Page 3

THE MUSEUM. TO THE EDITOR.

SiK—lt often occurs to me that the inhabitants of this Province are the slowest going, people to be found anywhere, even when their. most vital interests are at stake. As an instance: shewing the correctness of my statement, I: would refer : .you to the state: of the Pro-: vincial Museum. Here we have in our midst all the material of a first class; Museum, and I have no hesitation in saying that there is no single :■ building south of the Line that contains so many beautifulnatural history specimens ; but, unfortunately, for the public," they are so crowded in the show f cases, that it is .impossible for anyone to examine a tenth part of them properly; it is; painful ,to; .see 4he • various; attitudes of the. numerous visitors,. vainly attempting to catch; a glimpse of tho Hidden beauties in the cases.; I am well ■ aware that- it is impossible it can be otherwise in .the present building, andI write this hpping that it .^may hasten: the' completion of the new Museum. At pre-lj sent, it is a standing disgrace that, in this city,:' the capital of New Zealand," we have no suitable buildingtd display the grand collection that is! every, da>y. accumulating under; the direction of; Captain Hutton, to whom some return is due for- his unceasing efforts in forwarding this in- 1 stitntiou,..,alike, useful as an- educational' medium and source '6f! amiisemeyit. ' Hitherto,; he has not had fair play. He is expected "to ■ show us something worth./ looking at, and now, ■ when lie htis'a goodly collection, he has no suit-! able jilace in which to display it. '■..;"'.: .'. [■'■ ' : I daresay that many will say that this_ letter ; is o\jt of place, as we now have a new bnjlding. ■ Well; We certainly ' have" an unsightly lean-to,' which is an eyesore to everyone who looks at it. We are also promised a further instalment-dur-ing "the "coming twelve months, and I have no doubt that if "Provincialism lasted a few years longer,1 we ehbuld at last get a suitable building; but seeing; the state of affairs in* "the Colony at present, ty is very possible-'that,''unless we have the building completed ...at once, we shall- have either to wait a long time for it, or possibly go without ; it altogether. :,. .What■ is: to' lire vent ,the General Government saying, ','/. We will Jiaye one good Museum for the Colony, but that must be in Wellington?" ,Nowj what is»to hinder otir Prpyincial Groverhment .finishing the Museum in a style worthyof the place, while they have the chance ? It will certainly be a good finish up to Provincialism to-be able to point to this as a monument of their erecting immediately before its expiry. It certainly'is not asking too much to have the building completed in a style suited to .pur., aspirations^ so that we may point to it with pride and feel that its praise is deserved. We have here njen and liia'te'ri^l, as may "be seen by what is n-Tready.iap; complished, and it does seem beggarly to stop where we are.. Our Museum is not a Dunedin affair, as, since it ] has been .under the present •manageriient,: great'interest is takeii in it by residents'from all parts of the Province; in fact, scarcely'a wfeek passes but We read of some donation .from a'distant1 re-sident; and lam 6btifideht'it only iieeds a sriitable building to'be erected 'to cause ; an amonnt, o^f enthusiasm hitherto' unknown in Otago,.- At present I know there are'several gentlemen-collecting for the Museum at considerable expense. Surely, then, the least the Government can do is to make provision for' the; proper display of their valuable gifts," At present there is_ very little inducementfnr anyone to send contributions', as it is very probable that it is the last they will ever see of what they prize so very much.—l am, &c,

Naturalist.