The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-04 00:00:00

in the evening, and let them send for any books
they wanted out of 450,000 volumes, would be to
incur great risk. (Hear, hear.) The officers must
go about with lights, and put them down while
looking for books, and this would of course be attended
with danger. The object could only be accomplisl ed
by putting aside a certain number of books to be read—
an arrangement which would cause great dissatisfaction.
When there was a new reading room, there would be
much greater accommodation for readers ; but he thought
the department of printed books and the department of
manuscripts were, as far as the public were concerned,
the most useful parts of the British Museum.
Sir D. NORREYS thought it desirable to make a
good collection of British antiquities, in imitation of
France. There was no place in the country where there
could be found a collection of national relics.
Mr. W. J. FOX said the books which he wished to
see accessible in the evening were such as were to be
found in other libraries.
Mr. BELL wished to know when the new catalogue
would be completed ? The present catalogues (five in
number) were very imperfect, and much loss of time oc-
curred in looking for books.
Lord SEYMOUR said these complaints were urged
only by theorists and superficial readers. He had seve-
ral times called for books, and had them furnished to
him in three minutes.
Mr. EWART thought the library of the Museum
should be lighted and opened by night. In his opinion
there should be at least six great general district libraries
in London.
The vote was then agreed to.
On the vote of 101,1421. to defray the cost of addi-
tional buildings at the British Museum,
Lord W. GRAHAM asked whether Government had
any intention of appointing a Royal commission to in-
quire into all those national establishments ?
Mr. WILSON replied in the negative.
Mr. DANBY SEYMOUR suggested the removal of
the geological specimens to another place, with the view
of enlarging the accommodation for the books. He
asked whether there would be any objection to the pro-
duction of the report of Sir Charles Barry upon those
buildings ?
Mr. WILSON said there would be no objection to
the production of this report.
Mr. A. PELLATT said he should persevere in his
motion to postpone the vote.
A division was called, but none took place, and the
vote was agreed to.
1,5001. for the expense of transmitting ancient marbles
from Assyria to this country was agreed to.
THE NATIONAL GALLERY.
On 7,4901. for the expenses of the National Gallery,
Lord W. GRAHAM inquired whether a salaried direc-
tor was to be appointed this year. Was there any diffi-
culty in finding a properly qualified person for the office ?
There was a report that an eminent German professor was
to be appointed.
Mr.WILSON said the subject was under tho immediate
consideration of the First Lord of the Treasury. An appli-
cation had been made within the last fortnight from the
trustees of the National Gallery for the appointment of
such an officer, and he believed it was the intention of the
Government to appoint one in a few days, if a proper per-
son could be found. There was no truth in the rumour of
the appointment of a German professor.
Mr. DANBY SEYMOUR said there was another vote
for the National Gallery in the miscellaneous estimates.
Why was it not included in this vote ? It was a snm of
27,0001. for additional land at Kensington Gore for the
building of a National Gallery. For the first time they had
heard officially that there was to be a national gallery at
Kensington Gore ; and if it was intended to carry out the
second report of the Commissioners of the Great Exhibition,
such a gigantic plan would lead to an expense of one or
two millions. That vote should have been put under the
head of the National Gallery, and not in the miscellaneous
estimates. The hon. gentleman then adverted to the in-
convenience of having the Gallery of Ancient Masters and
the Vernon Gallery in separate buildings ; and he urged
that the Royal Academy should be removed from the
building at Trafalgar-square, and that that building should
ba appropriated to the national collection.
Mr. WILSON suggested that the first point alluded to
by the hon. gentleman should be deferred till they came
to the vote. The 27,0001. for the ground at Kensington
Gore was only a continuation of the vote of last year, addi-
tional land being necessary. With regard to the Vernon
Gallery, that collection was left to the nation on the con-
dition that it should be kept as a separate gallery, and her
Majesty had allowed it to be placed at Marlborough-house.
He believed the public was satisfied that it should remain
where it was. (No.) It was not convenient to remove
it at present. He believed the public would be sorry to
part with the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy in
Trafalgar-square.
Mr. DANBY SEYMOUR said that when the land at
Kensington Gore was purchased for 150,00 C/., Mr. Disraeli
distinctly stated to Mr. Humo that he took it for the pur-
poses of the Royal Commission of the Great Exhibition,
and he did not pledge himself that it would be used for a
national gallery, and the vote passed on that understanding.
The Vernon Gallery was only temporarily at Marlborengh-
house. Why should it not be removed to a more convenient
place at Trafalgar-square. There was no chance of losing
the exhibition of the Royal Academy, for it brought in
7,0001. a year, although they had agreed, when public
rooms were assigned to them, that the public would be
admitted to the exhibition gratis. It was also said that
they had accumulated a sum of 140,0001., which was con-
trary to the terms of their charter. The whole question
of the Royal Academy ought to be looked into, and he
hoped that in the next session some move would be made
in the matter.

After some few observations from Mr. EWART and Mr.
PELLA.TT,
Lord W. GRAHAM said that he saw a sum of 2,8001.
assigned to certain German pictures. Were they only
curiosities, or were they calculated to serve the purposes
of real art?

Mr. WILSON said that was the object. They were pic-
tures of a very rare description.
Mr. DRUMMOND complained that year after year
large sums were voted for public buildings, which were at
an expense far below what any private gentleman would
have to pay for similar buildings. He was surprised that,
considering all the inquiries which had been made on the
subject of pictures, that they had not heard what had be-
come of the pumice-stone--(laughter)—and whether the
pictures which were just brought were to be treated as all
the others had been treated. (Hear, and laughter.) There
had been a committee on the subject, and he saw his noble
friend the chairman of it present, who could no doubt
give the house some information on the matter; the report
of the committee showed that it was most unwise to go on
buying pictures and leaving them in such hands as the
others had been. No private gentleman would continue
to buy pictures and leave them in such hands.
The vote was agreed to.

2,0201. for scientific works and experiments and mag-
netic observations ; 5001. to provide suitable rooms for the
meeting of the Royal Geographical Society were agreed to.
The next vote was 11,2501. for the mixed commission
for the suppression of the slave trade.
Sir G. PECHELL hoped that the Government would
keep up the squadron on the coast of Cuba in an efficient
state, so as to give the slave trade, which the Spanish
Government for the first time seemed anxious to suppress,
a final blow. He had seen it lately stated that six cargoes
of slaves had been landed in Cuba, amounting to 2,100
Africans.

The next vote W&8 136,865 i. for consular establishments
abroad.

Mr. WILLIAMS said that amongst the items in this
vote he observed the sum of 4,0001. for consuls at Russian
ports; he should like to know if these were still to bo
maintained ? There were also charges for consuls at
Cologne, Frankfort, Paris (where we had an ambassador
and a complete diplomatic establishment,) Madrid (of
which the same might be said), Naples, Patras, Athens,
Cincinnati, and other places, our trade with which was a
mere bagatelle. He contended that all these charges
were unnecessary, and a waste of public money, and that
the appointments were made for the purposes of
patronage.

In answer to Admiral PECHELL,
Lord PALMERSTON said the Government were un-
ceasing in their endeavours to obtain from Spain the due
execution of the treaties for the suppression of the slave
trade, and considerable impression had been made at
Madrid on the subject. The orders of the Spanish Go-
vernment, which had hitherto been invariably disobeyed
at the Havannah, were now better attended to, and he
entertained the hope that experience would show that the
slave ti ade of Caba would be materially diminished, if not
entirely annihilated. With regard to the objections of
the hon. member for Lambeth, he could only set his
opinion against that of his hon. friend, and he was satis-
fied that his hon. friend's judgment was formed upon very
light and erroneous grounds. In all the places his hon.
friend had mentioned, the consular officers were necessary,
and as to the salaries, they were in most cases no more
than was required to enable the officers to keep up that
decent appearance which was essential for the due per-
formance of their duties, and the credit of the country to
which they belonged.

Capt. gCOBE-LL said that no answer had been given
with respect to the Russian consuls.
Mr. WILSON said that though the duties of these officers
were now temporarily suspended, they were still public
officers, and it would be very hard indeed to say that their
salaries should be stopped altogether. (Hear, hear.) They
would not receive the full amount of salary after a certain

time.
to 31,0001. He wanted
the consuls in China amounted
the same time to trade
know if they were allowed at in
Mr. DANDY SEYMOUR observed that the salnatrieeds
to
China, because if that were
strong interest in supporting
11 p)robably be that
haveau t h ea-
rity of the Eraperor. The result WOU ( I
tahreayinwstoutlhde
been the case in Burmah. He heard it state(} by
engagedpersons
thalelorwebeedls
they would lead the country into a war with China,i as had
in authority abroad that they would ultimately be. id
in war with China, and that their eastern empire would
not b© sate till the
was simply this—that the C'hins troop
Lord PA.LMERSTOI4 saidthe transaction alluded to
Y had penetrated to Pekin.
part of the ground that was appropriated atPoPrß°raictlisehtl stihibat-
jects, and c,mmitted acts of violence and it was abso-
lutely necessary to repel force by fore;e , but so far from
our proceedings in China having any tendency to disturb
peaceful relations in China, or to lead to encroachments,
he could assure the hon. member that we had acted with
the greatest forbearance, while the Chinese Government
had not fulfilled their engagements to the 'Exits.hempire,
and our merchants bad made several complaints
Sir C. PECHELL said he was sorry to find that, not-
withstanding we had a consul at Morocco, an English ship
thing been attacked on the Riff coast. It wasa p
thing that our trade on that coast should suffer venousfrom
pirates.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS asked for information respecting a
new charge of 1,400/. for interpreters at Hong Kong and
other places.
Mr. WILSON explained that it was in consequence of
the increase of trade, and interpreters being necessary.
The vote was then agreed to.
The next vote was 18,5001_,. for extraordinary disburse-
ments of her Majesty's embassies and missions abroad,
which, after a few observations from Mr. W. WILLIAtts,
was agreed to.

On the next vote, 135,7721., for superannuation and re-
tired allowances.
Mr. V. SMITH said this vote ought to be narrowly
watched. This year there was au increase of 3,0001. in it.
There was a number of allowances on loss of office and re-
ductions, and he thought that those persons ought to bo
appointed to fill vacant offices rather than that persons
should be appointed to office for the first time. Ho scarcely
saw any person who was restored to office except Sir Alex-
ander Spearman.
Mr. WILSON was quite ready to admit the force of
the observations of his right hon. friend, but he should re-
mind the house that the question of superannuations was
fixed by act of Parliament, and the money paid was not
out of the public money at all, but out of the contribu-