RELICS OF CAPT. COOK

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1422, 24 April 1912, Page 5

RELICS OF CAPT. COOK

1> BPLENDID GIFT. ' COLLECTION WITH A HISTORY. ' The New Zealand Government has i<» cently received from Lord St. Oswald, through the lltgh Commissioner, a valuable oolleot-ion of South 6ca specimens, und the whole have now boen unpacked tho Dominion Museum, and nro in pro- • cms of boing duly catalogued nnd entered. ■ in tho rocords. It is probable that Suiihi ol thorn will ho plnccd on view for ,i ■ short time, but tho largor portion will have to bo packed away again in tofo custody until tho now museum is ready • tor use. Tho history of tho collection is vei'y in-' s®resting. Early in tho last century 'a Mr. Bullock brought together the'lorgbft collodion of natural historv aims, nnd wlint were callcd natural curiosities that had ever been formed for lilt purpose of public exhibition. Mr. Bui. lock called his collection ..ondor Antfoum," and built tho wei.-lrnowt-f'Biptiau Hall for the purpose of exhibitii.i: Iho specimens. Many »i U. 6 "cu:i . otHirs" were obtained from L.tae \y. n. p'auicipated in Captain Cook's und possibly fomo from Captain took himself or his descendants. Other, specimens camo from tho Lcverian Muse'im— also a noted exhibition. In tho year ISI9, Mr. Bullock wished to dispose of his' collection, nnd offered it to tho British Museum for «C 50,000, but without succcss. Ho (hen arranged for a public sale, beginning on April *19, 1819. Tho printed cata-* logue, tho first part of which accompanies' the gift to New Zealand, is now very rare.i'his copy has tho further advantago of being priced. It is headed,. "Catalogue of tho Roman Gallery of Works of Art,' and tho London Museum of Natural History. Price Is. Gd., (o Ix* returned to purchasers." The wile lasted about twenty dnyg. Tho first five days woro occupied with tho dispersal of stuffed specimens of birds killed in England.' Tho list for tho sixth day's sale is headed, "Foreign Dresses, Arms, Quadrupeds, t etc.," and has some very curious items in it, No. 4 being "Mo'del of a Chinese lady's leg and a pair of lady's shoes, 4 inches long." At No. 9 tho ethnological specimens begin, and these continued to No. GO. Thev aro mainly specimens,' such ns had 'been brought - Home by Captain Cook from his voyages, ' oiul no doubt many of tlieni were" from. that source.

An ancestor of Lord St. Oswald attend, cd tho sale, anil purchased a largo mini-l-fti t ' le , s P CCIII ! eIIs I' 1 "1 were sold on that uay, the price given for each lot heme duly noted in the catalogue. His purchases were removed to tho family seat - in the North of England, and they" have remained there ever since in careful cui--' tody. The most interesting group iii-V. the collection is that of tho specimen's"" from Hawaii, or, as it was then called, the Sandwich Islands, and of these- tlio most attractivo arc tho wonderful feathpr cloaks, mainly composed of the red and -» yellow feathers of certain rare bird*. The chief and largest of these cloaks is tliui described in tho catalogjio:-"34. The i'oatner Cloak and Helmet, partieularlv described in Cook's Voyages, and are articles that must exeit« a inelaucholv - interest in every spectator. They are the identical superb feather cloak which, with tho helmet No. 1, Svere presented to the celebrated hut unfortunate .Captain Cook_ a short time beforo his death, by the King_ of Owhylieo, who,", taking them from his own person at'a splendid entertainment given in honour of tho L-nghsh, placed them on the person of our great circumnavigator, as the highest mark of distinction ho could bestow." This is, of _ course, -of historic interest, _ and its authentieitv is,.'ni tho opinion of Mr. A. Hamilton, .Director of the Dominion Museum, in- • dubitable. Among about a dozen other specimens of great ethnological interest from the samo group of islands, there is a feather fly-flapner, with a handle made of a human arm-bone, together with riugs ' of turtle-shell and whalebone. From Otaheite (now Tahiti, in the Society Islands) there are some fine specimens which' appear, to correspond exactly with those figured in "Cook 3 Voyages,"' where one of a most conspicuous characters in the plntes is "tho chief mourner," with his mask currounded by. whits tropic bird feathers. Thoro is also n wonderful apron, or breast ornament, . composed of tiny pieces of pearl shell. - 1 These aro extremely scarce. Other good ..specimens from the same part of tie Society Islands aro included.

i\"ot Hie least interesting- features of (lie collection aro 20 specimens Irom Now Zealand, the principal of which aie two . of tlw rare wooden llnge.plc.ts,', ,pne, which is double. Only one other specimen"like this is known to exist, and Hint' is in the British Museum, and there is a east of it in tho Dominion Museum. Next in importance is a scarifying knife, edged with sharks' teeth and lieautifully carved in tho early style of Maori art. These arc extraordinarily scarce anil highly.'!', prized. The design and execution ..org. almost exnetly like one shown-in the • plales_ to "Conk's Voyages." A wooden patu is also figured- in tho plates, mid this collection comprises one which, nny.... bo tho actual specimen from which the picture was drawn. '' . .. Added to theso are a number of speci<' mens from other parts of the. South - Pacific, including two paddles from Iligli Island in (he Tonga Group, carved from. top to bottom ivith patterns of marvellous " execution, and a well-carved ironwood club from Tonga. A number of ' fish' hooks which aro not yet identified aro also included, together with Specimens from .South America,, one or two from North-West America, and some from ~ other places.