Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull, 1868–1918.

Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull was born in Wellington on the 14th September, 1868, and was educated at Dulwich College, England.

His father was Mr. Walter Turnbull, one of the founders of the firm W. and G. Turnbull and Co. (now Wright, Stephenson, and Co.); and on his entering on a mercantile career Mr. Turnbull joined his father's London office, returning to Wellington in 1890. For many years he was associated with the late Mr. Nicholas Reid in the management of the business of W. and G. Turnbull and Co., but owing to failing health he was compelled some eighteen months before his death to relinquish most of his business activities, retiring altogether in October. 1917. The whole of his activities and the considerable means resulting from his business were then devoted to the augmenting of his collection of books of history, travel, and literature. He became one of the best-known book-collectors of New Zealand, and his library was known far beyond the limits of New Zealand. He devoted himself largely to the gathering of a representative collection of accounts of voyages to the islands of the Pacific, and the histories of those islands, including Australia and New Zealand; and the collection gathered by him is reputed to be one of the best in the world. It includes not only works in English, but many in Dutch, French, Spanish, German, and other languages, the Dutch being especially valuable. This portion forms, however, only about one-fourth of the library, the rest being devoted to histories of early colonization in various countries, and to poetry and general literature. Besides having copies of every obtainable edition of the better-known poets, the library is rich in works of the minor poets. His collection of autographs, letters, poems, logs, and journals is most representative; and he secured many rare editions both of well-known and out-of-the-way writers, so that the library contains wealth for the historian and for the lover of pure literature as well as for the bibliophile. He also specialized in New Zealand and Australian pamphlets, original drawings, and sketches of early New Zealand and Australia, maps, charts, photographs, &c.

The library contains over 32,000 bound volumes, thousands being almost jewel-like in their artistic binding, the work of such well-known firms as Zaehnsdorf and Riviere, of London; thousands of unbound pamphlets, leaflets, maps, etchings, drawings, and prints, all of inestimable value from an historical point of view.

Whilst Mr. Turnbull was a member of the Wellington Philosophical Society from 1897 to the day of his death, he was not an active member so far as the reading of papers was concerned. He was, however, indefatigable in the gathering together of this splendid collection, which he commenced whilst still in London, and the number and extent of manuscript notes in the various volumes show that he was a wide and unremitting reader who loved his books and knew them thoroughly. Apparently his sole object in making the collection, apart from present pleasure, was the

eventual presentation of it to the Dominion. Not only did he at all times place the library at the disposal of students and researchers, but by his knowledge of the contents of the books he was able to render them valuable assistance, and never refused to do so. Whilst, therefore, he did no original creative work, he did what was even more important—gathered a wealth of material that will give inspiration for original work for many years to come. This wealth he bequeathed to His Majesty the King in trust as a reference library to be housed in Wellington. The bequest is the most valuable by which the city of Wellington has ever benefited, and one of the most valuable ever made in the Dominion.

Mr. Turnbull possessed an extensive collection of Maori carvings, weapons, implements, articles of clothing, and other objects of ethnological value, and this collection he presented to the Dominion Museum in January, 1913. His desire for anonymity was respected, but it is due to his memory that this should now be known.

He was also a prominent member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, and had gathered a valuable collection of pictures by New Zealand and other artists. Many of these pictures, which deal with matters of historic interest to New Zealand and Australia, passed with his bequest and are now housed in the library which is known after the donor as the Turnbull Library.

Mr. Turnbull died in Wellington on the 28th June, 1918. He was a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; and, whilst his name does not appear among the illustrious in the world of science, the original work that will result from his labours and pleasures of collecting will certainly enrich the world of science no less than its sister world of literature.

Johannes C. Andersen