DONATION TO THE MUSEUM.—
Lady Broome has presented an old Dutch bottle and pipe (relics of Pelsart’s wreck on the Abrolhos) and “An account of the marine botany of the colony of W.A.,” by W. H. Harvey, M.D., etc., 11th December, 1854, to the Royal Irish Academy. These donations were brought from England by Sir Shenton. The following letter which accompanied them will be of interest to our readers :—
“This bottle, etc., was given to Sir Frederick Napier Broome by the Mr. George Leake, Q.C., in Perth, W.A., whilst Sir Frederick was administering the Government there. He prized it very much and took it to England with him in 1889 and subsequently to Trinidad. When, by the doctor’s urgent orders, we were leaving Trinidad hurriedly on October 1st, 1896, Sir Frederick desired that the bottle should be carefully packed up and taken to England with us, together with this book on Australian sea weeds.
During his fatal illness, a few weeks later, he enquired if the little box was safe, and desired me to take the first opportunity of sending them back to Western Australia, to be placed in some appropriate department of the Public Library or Museum, as a little parting gift from him to the place where he had been so happy. I now do so, and am very grateful to Sir George Shenton for kindly aiding me in carrying out one of the very few last wishes of my beloved husband.
M.A. BROOME, 6, Elm Park Gardens, London, S.W. July 14, 1897.”
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