The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1912-03-01
The Museum of Vienna.

The group of buildings in which the
Museum of Vienna is located is called
the Burg group. q 1t comprises, besides
the museum itself, the Imperial library,
which contains about 400, 900 volumes,
and an u~nequalled collection of Oriental
manuscripts; and t. e Imperial apart
ment which the emperor occupies when
in the city.
The group is a great pile of buildings,
not very imposing as to architecture,
inside. of which are three courts of
quadrangles. Externally there is moth
ing to arrest the eye of the visitor.
The library is really a part of the
museum. In it are many rare. volumes
of a unique character, which are a de-
light to the eye of the scholar. 1t also
contains a magnificent collection of en-
cravings and wood cuts, made up of
nearly 300, 900 specimens dating from
the earliest periods in the history of
the art.
The museum is arranged in a series of
divisions embracing the different clas-
SEES of exhibits. These are called cabi-
nets of natural history of minerals, and
of coins ard antiquities.
The cabinet Of natural history ad-
joins the library. This contains a col
lection of a peculiarly interesting char
acter, and greater even than that of
the British museum in London. A dis
t~inctive method has been employed to
indicate the place of origin of the vari-
GUS specimens. The lines around the
labels are colored, green representing
American origin; red, Australian, and
so IN. This method is a great help, es-
pecially to the foreigner. The Brazilian
collection formed by the late emperor
is included with this department. 1t
includes a fine collection of fish and in
sect specimens, as we'll as an exhibit of
comparative anatomy. 4
The cabinet of coins and antiquities
contains antique b~ronzes, terra c~ottas,
mosaics, and a comprehensive exhibit
of gems, ancient and modern, canoes.
intagIios and figures in precious stones.
It would be impossible TO enumerate
the vast treasures of art contained
among these specimens. One object,
however, commands our attention. It
is the exquisite salt cellar. wrought in
silver by the great metal worker and
sculptor, Benevenuto Cellini, for Louis .
XIV, of France. The perfect work..
manship on this beautiful object has
made it celebrated the world over.
But it is for the cabinet of minerals
that the musem of Vienna has become
most widely known. This collection is
the finest in the world OF its kind, al,
though of late years the n at the
Smithsonian Institute at Washington
has attained nearly as great fame.
Here we may find specimens of every
conceivable mineral and rock forma-
ton, remarkably well arranged. The.
meteors shown are unique, and excite
great surprise on account of their size.
One specimen from Bohemia weighs
owe 100 pounds, and another of II
pounds is said to have been taken up
while still hot, Immediately after its
fall.
Another department of the museum
is called the treasury. 1t contains rare
and precious jewelry, stones and rega-
liza of various sorts. Here are seer
vestments which have been worn by
church dignitaries and officers of variL
GUS orders. as well as the robes of roy
atty.
Altogether the completeness and
careful arrangement of the museum
make it one of great interest to the cas-
ual visitor as we'll as to the scholar. 1t
is only thrown open once a week to
the public, but access may be had to
its treasures daily on the payment of a
snail fee. -Kansas City Journal,