ON NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS. 31
arrangement." At the same time the collections included
specimens from widely distant parts of the world, and these
of such exceptional interest in certain cases that the museum
positively surpassed at that time the British Museum. The
skeletons and skins of the African elephant and the two-horned
rhinoceros were said to be the earliest ever known in this
country ; indeed, the specimen of the African elephant, stuffed
by Mr. Joseph Clarke, was considered to be of such interest that
it was sent to the Great Exhibition of 1851. Many of the larger
mammals were due to the generosity of Mr. George Wombwell,
the proprietor of the menagerie, who took, from his local
association, great interest in the museum.
It is a notable proof of the intelligence and enterprise of the
organisers of this museum that within ten years of its foundation
they published an admirable catalogue.39 Sixty years have
slipped by since that work was issued, and during this time
science has indeed made startling progress, yet it may be fairly
said that the production of such a catalogue—so carefully
compiled, admirably printed, and delicately illustrated—would be
creditable to any provincial museum even at the present day.
From the frontispiece we get an insight into an Essex Museum
sixty years ago, and the view is one in which an Essex man may
justly feel pride ! We are not surprised that, according to
Mr. Miller Christy, the catalogue "is said to have been the
best of its kind in existence at that day."10
Since the Saffron Walden Museum was founded, now seventy
years ago, the museum movement, at that time scarcely
recognised, has made marvellously rapid progress. In 1845, the
year in which the Saffron Walden catalogue was published, an Act
was passed by the Legislature, enabling certain municipal
bodies to levy a rate for the establishment of museums of science
and art. From this small beginning we have advanced, until at
the present day most of our museums are under municipal
authority, so that, unlike museums belonging to local societies
they enjoy an income which though it may be small is yet
officially assured. Without such support by the West Ham
Corporation, where would be our Essex museum !
When we remember the difficulty of formerly obtaining
access to the British Museum, when we remember too that to see
39 An Abridged Catalogue of the Saffron Walden Museum. 1854.
40 The Birds of Essex, Essex Field Club Special Memoirs, vol. ii., 1890.