Leskean Cabinet facts for kids
The Leskean Cabinet is a very old collection of minerals and natural history items. It was put together in the 1700s by a scientist named Nathaniel Gottfried Leske. Today, this amazing collection is kept safe at the Natural History Museum in Dublin, Ireland. It helps us learn about Earth's treasures and the history of science.
Contents
How the Collection Was Bought
A Special Purchase for Dublin
Back in 1792, a group called the Royal Dublin Society wanted to buy a famous collection of minerals. This collection was known as the Leskean Cabinet, and it was for sale. The Society decided to spend about £1250 to buy it. This was a lot of money back then!
A scientist named Dr. Richard Kirwan helped the Society buy the collection. By November 1792, the Leskean Cabinet had arrived in Dublin. It was stored in the Society's warehouse, which was also home to their art, old artifacts, and other animal and plant collections.
What's Inside the Collection?
Minerals and More
Nathaniel Gottfried Leske, who started the collection, passed away in 1786. After his death, another scientist, Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten, carefully checked and described all the items in 1789. Later, in the 1790s, Dr. Richard Kirwan also made some updates to the collection.
The Leskean Cabinet is huge! It has 7,331 different mineral samples. These samples were organized into five main groups:
- How minerals look on the outside (their shape, color, and shine).
- How minerals are grouped together based on their properties.
- Minerals that help us understand Earth's layers and how it was formed.
- Where different minerals are found around the world.
- Minerals that are useful to people in everyday life.
Besides minerals, the collection also included some animal specimens. Some of these were "type specimens." A type specimen is the very first example of a species that scientists use to describe and name it. These animal specimens came from the collection of another scientist named Johann Friedrich Gmelin.
Caring for the Cabinet
In 1795, a chemist named William Higgins became a professor at the Dublin Society. He was put in charge of the Leskean Cabinet. Students were allowed to study the collection, and there were special rules for visiting. A chemistry lab was also set up, and Professor Higgins was asked to do experiments with the minerals.
Seeing the Collection Today
On Display for Everyone
Parts of the Leskean Cabinet, along with other items added later, were put on display at the Museum of the Dublin Society. A guide from that time, called Wright's Historical Guide to the City of Dublin, described what visitors could see.
It mentioned a room where animal specimens were displayed, organized into different groups like mammals, birds, and insects. There were also many beautiful shells, butterflies, and beetles. Another room held the geological part of the original Leskean collection, which showed minerals related to Earth's structure.
