Madras Museum 1851

The establishment of Madras Museum  1851

     The Madras Museum was established in the  year 1851 by a notification dated 14th August 1851 by  H.C . Montgomerry Chief Secretary to Government.
 
     Intially it was established in the  first  floor  premises of the  College of Fort St . George  by exhibiting the collections available with  Madras  Literary Society.

      It was shifted to  Pantheon on Pantheon  Road in 1854. Edward Balfour was the officer  in Charge  and Rengaswamy Moodelliar was the  first  Curator.

      Both the  Europeans and Natives of the  Presidency  were asked to contribute to the  Museum and Communications and Parcels addressed to the Officer in charge of the Museum containing specimens were free of postage.

    The  Museum was proposed to be shifted to a 48000 Sq feet space allotted to it in the  New University campus  which never materialised.

      In the  year 1855 it had 201987 visitors  and in 1856 more than 500000 which  was more  than the  visitors to the  British  Museum at London.

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