Madras Museum
The Madras Museum was established by a notification in the Gazette of Fort St George dated 29th April 1851. Edward Balfour(1813-1889) who was a Medical Officer of the Governor’s Bodyguard was appointed as the Officer in charge of the proposed Museum. He offered his Honorary services for the establishment of the Museum. Initially a Curator, an Assistant and a Hamal were appointed. It was initially housed in the upper floor of the College on Pantheon Road with the Geological collections of the Madras Literary Society numbering 1100 as its nucleus. Within a period of 5 years the visitors to the Museum rose to 3,68,873. Balfour observed that prior to the establishment of the Museum there did not exist any place of recreation for all classes of the people of Madras. The only available entertainment was the gardens of the Agri Horticultural Society and practice of the bands on the Beach which were mostly patronised Europeans and East Indians. The visitors to the Museum were from all se