New-York tribune., 1877-08-10
TREASURES OF SCIENCE.

CURIOSITIES OF TIE PEABODY MUSEUM.
Rrs,.fr OF Iv1rvsr1vG SCIENTIFIC MEN WITH A
BrIIDlNG ruND-sKrIEroNs ENoUGH To rITL
ALI Tur CLOSETS N ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
OF TO-DAY. FROM THE LOWEST TYPE TO THE
HIGHEST.
lrfou 4 STAFF CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRBUNEl
NEw-HAvEN, July 25.-Thrce things prom
Is permanent fame 10 Newavcni'c historic Gins, It's
grca, Uuivcrsiy-wuich is stl 10y custom called col
lcccand gua d collections showing the life when
existed IN hyeouo ages on this continent Tue ara pre-
fcrvative OF arts has here been newly tested: printers
inS now preserves the clms against the ravoges o IN
secs and Is more successful IA this field than the Whole
Covernmc Bureau of Agriculture In its domain. vale
oxnaluc like the trees tlat cmbowcr her. shows fresh
growth an sides with every year and the new hfdnch
that bear the leave, and ut Of science and OF art AZ
roaly ciuclgc comparison in sz, and fuucSs with tine
Inaturcr development Of classics, mathematics theology!
law and literature Science especially fortunate, haV
in Cor is uses two admirable departments the slchold
Sccntrc Sc oo and the Peabody Museum. The Museum
Euding was partially described when II was nearing
conipIetion in Tnn TmuUNE OF August II, 1874. Al
though now complete ia ITSELF the present building -
destined 10 foun one wing OF larger cd,hce; hut ITS
architectural design is such that VI gives TO the eye or
unctitcal spectators the appearance OF inshed Wok
While this letter is chiefly intended to supply some no
fion ~ the contents OF tire Museum, brief account OF
th structure and az The circumstances of W erection
Peabody was Sl50Oo0; of ths 10000 is to he en-
tirey reycived until IL amounts to at least 100000
when may used for other parts Of the whole eiice
SUN OF $4,000 is also reserved 10 provide something
toward an income Tor TIE maintenance and care Of The
Museum. Evidently The income from thls source husl
be small and Go not how any portion Of 1t can hc
applied 10 the purchase OF new spcclGcnS Aiier
seOO00 and $4,000 had thus been aside from the
fund 100000 rcmlacd flr the erection OF the present
building and that sum was invested with such jGdcoUs
skill laud with an occasional turn I'm the purchase
aud sale of bonds that lis total was tua!y rIs'd m ite
course Of about years, 80 $l7Gooo The executive
officers Of the board 10 whom This trust was
conGIei. are PrHs. J. ID. Dana. q. j. Brush
and o. C. Marsh It is needless 70 say that
yi.,acr.s IN general wagccd their boards omnously
Mt he notion OF college professors managing such llu>i
and putting no bIifin- of original design Much sage
advice was aa;uuously rendered by men Who had lad
experience with trst funds ami architecture ana ON ihc
rejection OF outside counsel il confidently predicted
that thc Trustees % tie Peabody Fund would bc passing
around the hat for contributions long before tho stone
cutters departed But the professors OF natural science
had not allowed their practical mathematics 10 rust;
they had the building constructed just thcy wished H.
and when II was finished and the cases to hold The col
leciious were made placed, and al bs were paid.
and the building opened To the public, there was stll
something left less than SiO the hands OF the Treas
urer Ii adds q new chapter the histories OF neat
financial management Of scientific trust funds Of which
the Smithsonian Institution has furnished conspicuous
example.
REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH BUILDING.
The abody Museum is Of brick with stone trimmings
II practically Of five Stories since both the basement
and the attic are hgn and well lighted. The present
structure consists of a main building and wing; The
roof ar, lofty aud pnnaclcd. In design the building
not severely simple, yet il is not overloaded with orna
men; This particular, both to details aud general
outline the happy is struck The architect is SIR
G. Cady of Ncw-York. am not sufficiently adept
fauiudng 20 bc sound criuc Of architecture; but
il were think should he st a loss TO discern the
defects Of the Peabody Museum, for outside and
inside it appears To me both neat and ele-
cnut. Three objects are TO I've attained in such
n structure: First, absolute security against fire,
the collections O. priceless value 10 science and
their loss would DE irepayabie second, abundant light
e. show The specimens 80 the utmost advantage 10 the
student well 10 the public; space and plentiful light
are also required the woIkngrooms, the modern Iu-
scum needing 20 be quite much a workshop place
OF disI lay Third, plan OF construction and arrange
ment which shall the utmost facility and oouven-
fence IN examining the collections presenting on the
one hand the details, on The other synopsis. OF each
branch o. rl,carcl that embraced Rarely have all
these conditions been fully realized. Not few museums
that were built without reference danger OF fire
have burned, and others st standing known 10
be sadly insecure Souc, with a view 10 sOdity, have
been built with few or deepiy-einbayod VIII
dows: The collections We're thus virtually entombcd and
the structure monuments not 10 science but 10 the
architect Others again mere abyrnts OF eurostes,
where student may have 10 spend almost much time
III finding specimen Is he would Le sought II IN it,
original quarry. la the Peabody Museum pains have
been spared put the exhibition easy with the
public. that a person Of fair average Infonna
ton, passing attenyey through tie rooms, Will be in
structed well gratihed by Iasty survey The
collections systematic and they arranged sys-
temaicay. In describing them propose TO follow the
orderly rehod in which they arranged. at least
far the separate concerned. though II viii
be convenient TO climb, story 10y story from the foot
prints Of unknown saurans in the basement the In
dian relics the fourth floor II may be Wen however
here that the first floor Is devoted miner
aloGy except the space taken f0r fine lcctuEerOon
the second floor 10 geology ncuding fossils the thru
10 osteoloy and general Zoology the fourth arena,
olOgy and cthnOlOgy.