National Museums of Ceylon

Abstract

THE Administration Report of the Director of National Museums for 1946 (Ceylon Government Press, Colombo, 1947) gives news of the commencement of museum reconstruction in Ceylon. Th9 Colombo Museum was derequisitioned by the military authorities in January 1946 ; but although the Public Works Department had the building under repair, it was not until the following July that any part of it was fit for the return of some of the Museum‘s collections. In spite of this and other difficulties, however, it is recorded that when part of the.building was reopened there were 22,128 visitors to it between December 20 and 30 of the same year. Reference is made in this section of the report to the requisitioning of show cases by the military authorities in 1942 ; of the 262 taken over, only 85 were returned fit for use. To replace those lost, orders have been placed with the Crown Agents to the sum of Rs. 91,950, while a further sum of Rs. 41,850 was assigned to the Government Factory Engineer "for building show cases locally, with what was left of the glass that was removed from the original show cases at the time of requisitioning". One is left wondering to what use military authority could have put museum exhibition cases that they suffered so much damage. A new south wing to the Kandy Museum is under construction, and what is left of the King‘s Palace will be converted into a part of the same Museum. A special strong room will house the Sinhala Regalia. The Ratnapura Museum was reopened to the public in April 1946, while the Jaffna Museum was expected to reopen in July 1947. Under the different museum headings, the report includes long lists of acquisitions made during the year under review.