gb0551ms-33-11

Transcription

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National portrait gallery where it must
remain, inaccessible to the public until
the operations on our side of the building
are completed. The most awkward
objects to move are the prehistoric urns,
but I have had shelving placed around
the strong room on the first floor, and
on it I have safely deposited, I daresay
70% of the lot. The remover's men come
in on 1st. April, and thence onwards for
three months we shall live a strenuous
life as the workmen's hours are 8.0 a.m.
till 6.0 p.m, and either Mr Edwards or
myself must be present all the time.
I have finished checking the contents of
the Museum with the catalogue, and have
discovered that a few important objects
have disappeared, but not so many as
there might have been. I cannot find a
a number of silver medals, two bronze spear
heads found at Murrayfield, a facetted
stone ball etc. The general condition of
the Register and Catalogue abstracted from
it is very bad, as both contain many errors
of omission and commission.
Mr Edwards is now engaged for a portion of

each day in attempting to preserve iron exhibits
which have lain far too long neglected. He
is producing excellent results where the
neglect has not been for too long: most of
the iron objects are, however, absolutely
ruined.

20th. May 1914
Messrs Taylors' workmen arrived at the Museum
in 1st. April, and by the 25th all of the objects in
the collection, including the sculptured stones
and altars had been transferred to their tem:
:porary quarters, and that without anything
having been broken. All except the very heavy
objects were carried by our own men. I
took them out of the cases and placed them
in the hand-barrows while Mr Edwards trans:
:ferred them to their temporary quarters on
the other side of the building. All the tall
cases on the first floor had to be taken to
pieces, but fortunately the side cases for the
most part were carried down stairs with
their contents in them. We kept a book
showing the disposition of the contents of
each case, and can get access to almost
every one. The library has also been trans:
:ferred and the books piled in order on the
floor of one of the portrait gallery rooms.
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