Letter from Lady Franklin to George Washington Walker 25th Oct. 1843 and card with engraving of Ancanthe by Thomas Bock

Abstract

This letter from Jane Franklin to George Washington Walker invites he and Mrs Walker to the opening of the, soon to be completed, Museum 'Ancanthe'. The Museum, and about 500 acres of land, was entrusted to five members of the Tasmanian Society for a future college, the proceeds of the land to be used to maintain the Museum and form a native arboretum. Membership requirements of the Society are outlined, being a combination of submission of a paper to the journal, a Tasmanian natural history object to the Museum or a book to the library with connections to any of the Australian Colonies. Mention is made of the selection of articles from the tables at Government House prior to the sale, by Mrs Walker and some other ladies of the Tasmanian Society, one of which she is offering to her as a memorial to their association. The inscription in Latin and English on the cornerstone of the Museum is written at the end of the letter. The card with an engraving of Ancanthe, by the convict artist Thomas Bock, was given by Lady Jane Franklin to those attending the opening of 'Ancanthe'. The inscription on the back by George Washington Walker reads, 'Presented by Lady Franklin on the eve of her departure from V. D Land along with a token of remembrance to my wife, 25/10 mo. 1843. GWW' This card accompanied a vase given by Lady Jane Franklin to Mrs. G. W. Walker.