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Overview
This set of reference rocks and minerals was used by nineteenth-century scientist James Hector to identify geological samples collected during fieldwork. The mineral samples in this set were based on James D. Dana's Manual of Mineralogy, a key nineteenth-century geology text.
James Gregory
This set was assembled by James R. Gregory (1832-1899), a key mineral dealer in London in the second half of the 19th century. He began his business in 1858, and supplied many collectors and scientists with specimens.
James Hector
James Hector (1834-1907) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1856, he graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh, where he also studied botany, zoology, and geology. For three years he worked as a surgeon and geologist on John Palliser's expedition to western Canada before being appointed director of the Geological Survey of Otago, New Zealand in 1861. During the 1860s, Hector explored the terrain of Otago and the West Coast of New Zealand.
Important influence
By 1865, Hector was the director of both the Geological Survey and the Colonial Museum (Te Papa's predecessors). He was never just a desk man, however, and spent his summers working in the field with other scientists.
Hector was immensely influential, responsible for many scientific organisations, including what became the Royal Society of New Zealand. For this work Hector received national and international awards, including a knighthood in 1887.