The Sun.
London, England, 1823-06-21 00:00:00

SCOTCH JURIES BILL.

Mr. KENNEDY moved that the Bill should be read a se.
cord time. The law passed last Session, from the extensive
power of challenge which it gave, rendered the adoption of the
present measure peremptorily necessary.
The Order of the flay was then read.
The LORD ADVOCATE moved that the Bill should be
read a second time this day six months
Mr. J. P. GRANT supported the Bill.
Mr. PEEL, supported the amendment.
Sir IMACKINTOSH warmly supported the Bill, which, he
contended, was necessary, in consequence of the measure passed
last year.
The Gallery was then cleared for a division, when there ap.
peared—
For the original motion, 471 Against it, 421 Majority, 5.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on Monday.
COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY:—LIBRARY OF THE
LATE KING.

On the Motion of the CILAYCEr.r.oit of the EXCHEQUER,
the House resolved itself into a Committee c; the whole House,
to consider farther of the supply to be granted to his Majesty..
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in submit-
ting to the Committee a vote for the erection of a new building,
for the reception of his law Majesty's Library, at the British
Museum, observed, that he supposed the Gentlemen whom he
then addressed had read the Report relative to the magnificent
donation of his late Majesty. That Report fully stated the rea-
sons why his late Majesty's Library should be placed in the
custody of those who presided over the British Museum.—
Though he had not,in consequence of the pressure of public
business, been able constantly to attend the meetings of the
Committee from whom that Report had emanated, he was yet
satisfied, from the discussions which had taken place there, and
from the concurrent feeling of all those whom he had consulted,
on the subject, that the most convenient situation, in every re-
spect for the disposition of' that Library, was under the roof of
the British Museum.—( !rear, hear !)—But the Committee was,
perhaps aware, that the state of the British Museum at present •
was such as to render it perfectly incapable of containing the
treasure which the bounty of the Sovereign had bestowed upon
his people. If, therefore, the library were attached to the
British Museum, it would be necessary that means should
be found to provide a suitable building for its reception. It ap-
peared very desirous (and such, he belieVed, was the general
feeling) that the library, should be deposited in the British
Museum, and that it should be separated from every other
part of the collections contained in the building, although
the rooms in which it wits placed should form a part of the
general structure. The idea which prevailed in the Committee
was, that the new building for this Library should be erected
in such a manner as to form a part of a large building : it
being evident to every one who looked at the British Musuinn,
that no great time would elapse before it would be found abso-
lutely necessary to rebuild the whole of that structure. 'lt would;
therefore, be unwise to adapt the new building to the existing
arrangement, or to the existing architecture of the British
Museum. It was intended, in consequence, that the contem-
plated building. should be formed as part of a new plan ; with-
out aiming, on the one hand, at any ostentatious display of
architectural grandeur ; but taking care, on the other, that the
principles of sound taste, and of simple elegance, should not he
forgotten. It was proposed to erect such a budding as would
do honour to that rich and powerful metropolis which was the
possessor of those Inestiun treasures. LVery lover of Meta.
tutu must be anxious thatthey should be placed in a building
commensurate with their great worth and value ; and it was
obvious that the plan could not be carried into eill,et without
calling on the public for considerable sums for- its completion.
Ile was now about to call on the Committee for the first vote

of money for that object. He should propose a resolution for
a grant of 40,0001.; whether that would be actually sufficient
for the completion of the building it was impossible to say, but
that was all which it was necessary to cull for in the way of
advance at the present moment. The Right Hon. Gentleman
then moved—" That a sum not exceeding 40,000/. he granted
to his Majesty towards defraying the expence of erecting an
additional building at the British 'Museum, for the reception of
the library of his late Majesty."
Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that in objecting to this motion, he
did so with considerable diffidence, considering • the superior
information on this subject which was possessed by those Gen-
tlemen Iv!: c formed the Committee, and who had drawn up the
Report. Still, however, he had many and very great objections
to the proposition of the Right lion. Gentleman, which he felt
himself bound to state to the Committee. In the tirst place,
he wished it to be understood that he made no objection what-
ever on the score of economy.-.-(Bear, hear !)—Tor the honour
of the nation, and of those who represented it, he should be ex-
tremely glad, not only that every thing which was necessary
should be granted, but he would even go to 'a point of super-
fluity, for the purpose of preserving this magnificent collection
as ithught to be preserved ; for it was perhaps the most splen-
did collection of books, on subjects of the greatest interest, that
ever graced this or any other country.—(Hear o—The Report
to which the Right Hon. Gentleman had alluded was, he ad.
mined, drawn up with considerable effect and abilityy ; still,
however, he must observe that it gave, comparatively, but very
little information es to the value, in a mental point of view
of this copious and excellent collection. This library was de-
signed for statesmen and politicians—and more particularly
for those who wished to inform themselves on the history and
constitution of this country. It abounded in geographicid and
topographical works. The Survey of ,Veotlond the Ordnance
Sarvele (at least so he understood), and many other plans
of a similar nature, were comprised in this grand. collection.
Generally speaking, it would be in vain to look to any other
place fin the mass of information interesting to the statesman.
to the politician, to the scholar, or to any person who wished
to form an adequate notion of the real practice of the Constitu-
tion, which was to be found in this collection.—They were in-
formed by the Report that his late Majesty had expended nearly
120,000/., or about 2,00t)1. a-year out of his privy purse during
a period of 00 years, in the purchase of this Library. But he
understood that 200,000/. would not now bei sufficient to pur-
chase a similar collection. It was to the immortal honour
of his late Majesty that he had formed this collection with,
out calling for any aid from Government;. and sorry should
he be if this great country, renowned for its devotion to
the arts and the liberal
_sciences, should be the only one in

Europe where a Royal library was not attached to a Royal
palace. Those who had seen the palace where this library
was originally deposited, must admit that it was a receptacle
every way worthy of such precious treasures. The .ectagon-
room, the great room, anti the remaining apartments, for there
were six of them, ,were all of them fitted up in a style
worthy of the purpose to which they were appropriated.—
No person could wander about those roorna, . and view, even
cursorily, the treasures they contained, without seeing the pro..
priety, if possible, of retaining them in a Royal residence. If
those rooms were to be script of the treasures which they
had so lung contained (and he was grieved to hear such was
the intention), was there no other Royal palace to which they.
could be removed P lie did not deny that the gift granted to
the people by Ida Majesty was a noble one; but he must say,
if he could keep that royal library where it at present was, he
as one of the people, would willingly forego his share in that
grant. But If it should happen, as the. rumour went, that
this octagon was to be applied to a strange and a very differ-
ent purpose, with what a melancholy confusion would Jeng..
lislunen in future times, showing the palace, Coate" that' the
founder, George, 111., had designed it4-first fur a chapel, and
secondly, for a scarcely less holy purpose, the reception of this
library, white, now, alas ! the only books which were received in
it were some stray pamphlets, used for the purpose of heating a
stove or warming a bath. Though this was not the age of Omar,
scarcely had the Alexandrian library shared a more lamentable
fate. It was, lie assured the Howie, rather for information than
with any other intention that he asked whether his Majesty had
any right to give away these books, would he have right to eel!?
lie (Mr. tiohhouse) said he would nor; and, therefore he had
a right to inter dint he could not dispose of them in any man-
ner. lie was not certain that the library was in the nature of
an heir-loom, but he thought it was. To refer to that

rity so commonly quoted in the .Uouse—that .31r. Justice
Blackstone--he looked upon the library in thu ,ante light as
the crown Jewels, which that Learned Judge had said were
ituilienitble from the person the King, beano they were

necessary to support the dignity of the Sovereign for the time
being. If the crown, and the sceptre, and jewels, were thus
thought necessary for the maintenance of the kingly state, he
considered that this noble collection of books was no less ne-
cessary, and would much more contribute to that purpose.
By the provisions of the King's Private Property Act, it was
provided, that in case no actual disposition should be made
by will, all other methods of distributing the property should
be void ; now, his late Majesty had made no will, and
therefore, if the former part of his argument had been cor-
rect, the books could not have been disposed of. What,
therefore, was the manifest intention of his late Majesty
was, that the library should be for ever attached to one
of the royal palaces ; and that George 111. had never in-
tended to send this portion of his books to the British Museum,
was evident from the magnificent donation which he made to
that institution in his life-time, of pamphlets and MSS. If,
therefore, the House was desirous to effectuate the late King's
Wishes, they never would sanction the removal of his books
front a Royal' Palace, and the snore particularly when there
was not the shadow of any evidence that his late Majesty
wished his books to go to the British Museum. It appeared
to him that one way of Satisfying the intentions of his
late .Majesty presented itself. If it were not asking too much
of his present !Majesty, he thought Buckingham Ifouse might
be left open to those who chose to consult the books in that
place, where they were situated to the utmost advantage. His
Majesty holding, as lie did, only a few Courts in the year at
this palace, might afford some days in every week for the public
to refer to those books. But if this were too much, still the ob-
jections to the British Museum remained as strong and as nu-
merous as before. The first intimation of this building being
the intended receptacle for the books, came from Lord Liver-
pool : the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his announcement 'of
the subject had never hinted at this. It was very natural that the
Trustees of the British Museum should see at once that their
house was of all others the best adapted to preserve the library ;
and without supposiqg they were actuated by any unworthy or
improper motives; he (Mr. Ilobhouse) could easily conceive
that they were earnest in their recommendations. But it should
be recollected, before any disposition was made of the books,
that a numerous and very valuable part of them consisted of
the donations of individuals, who, when they made them,
thought they were raiding to a Royal library, always to be pre-
served in El Royal Palace. Among others he would mention
one, whom he had known, and the reputation of whose learn-
ing had spread his fame far beyond this county—Mr. Jacob
Bryant: this disposition of the library to which lie had been a
contributor would at least defeat his intentions. What, he must

be allowed to ask, had ‘Vestminster done, that when the ques-
, tion of a place wherein to deposit the lute King's library was
agitated, it was not remembered ? There was, within that im-
portant part of the metropolis, no library, or none which could
be properly so called. An example had been afforded by the
trustees of the British Museum, of their unfitness to be in.
trusted with the present collection, from the use which they
had made of that complete collection from the reign of Henry 11.
to that of George 11. which hail been presented to them.—
This collection had been mixed up with the books which they
already possessed; the admirable order in which It was ar-
ranged had been confused ; and by losing its identity, the
whole of the collection had lost its interest. There was no se.
curity that the same confusion would not take place in the
present instance, or that the books might lie in boxes (as many
other valuable parts of the treasures of the British Museum gill
did) until the building intended to receive them should be
congleted. Ile could not account for the strange attachment
which seemed to be shown for having these collections all under
the same roof, He now came to an objection which he con-
sidered a vital one—it was the number of duplicates, already
great, and which must be necessarily increased by the addition
of the King's library to that of the British Museum. It ap-
peared that of the e 55,000 volumes, of which the latter consisted,
1,000, or one-third of the whole number, would be duplicates.
He had been informed that the number of duplicates would even
extend to 99,000; but taking it at. the lower amount, he asked,
could any thing be more preposterous than this ? This objec.
Lion could not be got rid of by the sapient excuse formed by
the Committee, that the seine book might be in requisition by
different Gentlemen at the sonic time. Ile had never heard of
such a pretence being urged, and it was quite absurd to apply
it to literature of a character so recherche as that which coin.
posed the library of the British Museum. It was said that this
union of the two libraries would make that of the British Mu-
seen] one of the most complete in Christendom ; but it was well
known that in topography and geography the collection of the
British Museum was not by any means complete. Would the
House, then, for the mere purpose of completing this collection,
condemn 12,000 valuable books, so carefully collected, to the
hammer? There could be no difficulty in finding a place fit
for the reception of the late King's library. The Banqueting.
hall, at Whitehall, was, us to its dimensions, admirably
adapted for this purpose ; he undett;:-.r3d that for the sum
of 5,0001. this building might be completely fitted up ; but
even if it required is much larger emu, he thought this was not an
occasion upon uhich the House ought to hesitate to incur IL--
Upon the convenience of the situation of the Banqueting-house,
he felt it was unneeessary to enlarge • and to make the internal
decorations agree with the beauty of architecture, nothing
could conduce more than the filling it with the rare volumes
which his Majesty's bounty had presented to the public. It
might be said that this building was devoted to the cele-
bration ,of divine service, at which the soldiers attended, and
That it was not proper to desecrate so holy an edifice. To this
his reply would be simply, that it never was consecrated: bat
it it had been be could not help thinking that there would be
nothing impious in placing the Royal Library within those walls
in which the soldiers wont to assist at the divine service once a
week. If, however, these objections should prevail he would
mention' the King's Mews as a very fit and convenient place
nigbrarY• He wee sure that this would be de-
toa much more constitutional purpose,
tvflulianrtintgicaletihitaZucild alatigiiit
as
it
was
11(m, a barrack for soldiers. The
reason why he wished to retain the collection at that end of the
town, was, that at the same time a place might be provided for
keeping the records. of the kingdom. They were at present
scattered, Places; and were exposed tolmsaalties,
from
deposits ought to be guarded. He
hoped, upon the present occasion, to engage the votes of gentle.
men thoseich 12 differentpreci precious
u
inen of all parties, in securing to the public the benefit of the
munificence of the late, and of the good taste of the present
King, and to prevent the library from being
.placed in a situa-
tion where not ten persons would consult it in ten years. He
should conclude by moving, ," That no money be granted to
,provide a building for the reception of the late King's library,
until the House were informed whether it could nut be tlepo-
forSittli(2. 0.4
sited in the neighbourhood of the 'toyed Palaces, and of the
house of Parliament."
whichti nrad hhe gave the Hon. Gentlemen credit
prompted the appeal he had just
made, must ditfer from hint with respect to the intention of his
10t
iNv
eGs , nl
Mikio§tv, which, he believed, was to render a service to the
public, and which it was the duty of the House to make as con.
foiinable itg. possible to the public convenience. The lion.
Gentleman, in calling the library of the British Museum one of
the most complete in Christendom, had greatly overrated it.
It was, in fact, only the ruli or fith public library in Europe.
It consisted of only 125,000 volumes, and must therefore be
Called almost insignificant when compared with that of Paris,
which appeared, in the catalogue published last year by M. Van
I'raet, to contain 450,000 volumes. He would not be understood
to depreciete the British Musenuilibrary,which was highly curl.
ous and interesting, but which he could not deny was incomplete
as a general collection: t was necessarily KO, having been formed
front the private collections of persons, whose object in making
them had been to illustrate some favourite branch of sci-
ence.'The library able late Majesty was, on the contrary, per- I
hape the most comete for its extent, that had ever been I
formed. It was obvious, therefore, that this must be, in every
respect, a valuable acquisition; and lie believed he wits autho-
rized in saying, that his Majesty would prefer its being added 1
to that of the British Museum. He had already considered 1
the exjiediency of placing it in the Banqueting-house at White.
hall ; out the great expellee the inconvenience to which it i
would expose the soldier*, anti the fear he had that it would I
become a lounge, situated as It was in the noisiest part of
London, had convinced hirn that that place was unfit for such I
purpose.a

tstr
3IACKINTOSH said there were two questions in the
vote before the House which his Hon. Friend (Mr. ilobhouse)
had not sufficiently distinguished. One was, the union of the
two libraries, and the other the site of the buildings in which
they were to. be contained. The House must recollect that the
British Museum, whether the. King's lihrarY
should be united
to that which it already contained or not, must be rebuilt ; and
the expence necessarily attendant upon this formed no Mean
point of the ty-;ections to the proposed measure. He really
thought that his Majesty, in the disposition of this library,
was entitled to the highest credit, for removing it from a
place where it must be necessarily surrounded by the pomp
and glare of a
Palace—attractions,
indeed, of a different kind
from those which are calculated to invite the student to
literary investigation. Besides, to use the homely proverb,
it was rather ungraciouit to look " the gift-horse in the
mouth," and he was persuaded it was the -Royal wish that
this fine collection should be placed in the situation best
adapted for rendering it most getrrally advantageous.—
Thu union of this library with that at the British I%luseuni was.,
fur all purposes of general reference, so desirable an object, that
all who knew the value of the facilities for literary research,
must at once concur in its 'obvious propriety. The advantage
of one great library for general purposes was, independent of
its utility, so essential for the honour and dignity of litera-
ture, that he never before heard any doubt cast upon the value
of such an accumulation, lie knewhow easy it was to throw
dicule upon the compilation of duplicates; but scholars knew the
distinction to be drawn between editions of the same author,
and the value to be estimated by philologists, althOugh the ore

dinary reader might ridicule the refinement of' " e's restored,
and pomp of p's deposed." Ile was perfectly aware, that
from the nature of the British Museum, strong objections arose
in consequence of its being so combustible; but all were agreed
that there must' be a new building, which, surely, might
be rendered incombustible.—(Hear, hear, hear!)—lt was due
to the greatness of this country diet it should have what de-
served to be Tailed a national library ; the present one at the
British Mnieum did not deserve the name, and even with the
addition of the King's magnificent gift, it would be rather a
basis for the ultimate formation of a suitable library, than a
complete collection ofwhich they could have reason to be proud,
with this great addition, it would not be half the value of the
Royal Public Library of France, the most useful and most ac-
cessible library in Europe, though, certainly, in some of its de-
partments, less curious than the imperial collection at Vienna,
and the library at the Vatican. When he looked at the state
of the library, at the British Museum, he must complain of the
manner in which that collection had been stinted and starved
by Parliament; a library, if curtailed of its adequate sources
of supply, by a diminished endowment was deprived of the
great principle of its utility, and such was the case at the British
Museum. For the last five years, in consequence of the pur-
chase of Dr. Burney's library, the grant for this establishment
was only 3001. a-year for printed books, and 501. for manuscripts.
Now he had the authority of a beamed Friend, one of the
Members for the Universty of Oxford, for saying, that in the
department of foreign classical literature alone, 5001. a-year
would be necessary for suitably keeping up, even a private
gentleman's library, upon an extensive scale, to say nothing of
the natural and exact sciences, and works of a political character.
The Bodleian Library, which enjoyed under the Copy-right
Act the same advantages as the British Museum, for the gra.
tuitous acquirement of new English publications, had during the
last five years expended for foreign and old books 1,6001. a year,
and yet the National Library of England was allowed only 3001.
a year for the same purpose. The Advocates' Library, a private
collection of a very distinguished body, with all the same copy,
right privilege, expended from NU to 1,000/. a year in the pur-
chase of foreign works; and the Royal French Library, which bad
also a copy-right presentation, purchased 1,500/. worth of books
annually. He hoped that these examples, and the knowledge
that every petty state in Europe had its national library, would
stimulate this country to mend her ways, and place literature
upon a station befitting the greatness of such a nation in the
civilized world.—(Hear 4---He would now, by way of sugges-
tion, merely make a few remarks; he lamented the determina-
tion to rebuild the great national depository upon the site of the
present Museum ; lie knew that two great objects were to be
considered upon the subject of the site of the building—namely,
accommodation and ornament.' NVitli respect to the first, he did
not think a walk of an additional half mile, although he was
afraid that was the mode of conveyance to which must literary
men must resort—(a lauKll)—would be of any material conse-
quence; but something had been said of the necessity of a
place of seclusion, for purposes of study. How this was con-
sistent with the union of the ails and sciences in the same
building, it was for others to determine. There was a wide
difference bet Ween what was proper for a museum, and what
was essential for a library : the latter should be protected from
intrusion, or else the student must be exposed to an interrup-
tion in his pursuits. Far different was the case of a museum;
for that, to be effective, must be made an alluring lounge, to
entice, as it were, spectators to acquire in the easiest way a taste
for the arts. Great Russell-street was rather out of the way
for such a purpose : they who wished to see the Museum
must go there expressly fur the purpose, it did not stand in
any public situation, inviting by its architectural beauties
the passengers to enter. He entirely concurred in the pro.
priety of making such an edifice externally, as well as inter-
nally attractive. London, although the greatest city, was the
least ornamental metropolis in Europe. For almost a century
this city was without any ornamental architectural additions—.
the late efforts st improvement (of which he wished to speak
without any disparagement) partook more of the neatness cf
individual taste, than of general grandeur. This was perhaps
owing to inadequate encouragement; and upon that subject he
begged to deny that the fine arts flourished under private pa.
tronage. The history of ancient Greece and modern Italy
showed that public patronage alone could secure the triumph of
art; that which was calculated to excite universal attention must
, spring from enlarged patronage, and must consist of works in.
teresting, not alone to individual taste, but, to the general feel-
ing of mankind. Thus it was, that in the absence of national
patronage, painting had been comparatively degraded in land, t
an the genius of' a Reynolds and a 14wrence, in a great
degree, circumscribed, by the prevailing demand for portrait
painting. As to the improvement of architecture in the ca-
pital, there were three great causes to retard it the first was
the distance of materials ; the second, the taste of the higher
classes for country life; the third, that of the middling classes
for comfort, rather than display. The first was unavoidable:
the second diffioulty to be surmounted ; and the third not to be
removed. With respect to the site of the building, lie timely
wished to say one word, and perhaps it was the offspring of a
too aspiring fancy which, prompted him to suggest the conve-
nient spot in every respect for such a builtitng, which the
fine situation of Constitution-hill presented on the line between
Hyde-park-corner and Buckingham House. He begged pardon
for havlng troubled the House so long, and concluded by re.
peating the high sense he entertained of the value of his Ma-
jesq's munificent literary gift to the British nation.
11Ir. LENNARD entirely concurred in the propriety of unit-
ing the two Libraries, and expressed a wish for some more con-
venient alteration of the hours for admitting artists to the gal-
lery of statues.
31r. R. COLBORNE concurred in the propriety of uniting
the two libraries, and suggested the value of establishing a
national gallery of pictures. It was a reproach to this coun-
try, to be the only one in Europe without such an ornamental
.acquisition.
Mr. CROXER was anxious to reconcile some d the con.,
!liming opinions upon this subject, by suggesting the propriety
of omitting a specification of the solace where the new building
was to be erected. He entirely disapproved of the peddling
and huckstering -plan of selling a part of the present collection
to get rid of 21,000 duplicate copies. 'Phis lie thought en un-
worthy and unsuitable 'course, and one which ought not to be
I resorted to. He concurred in the propriety of uniting the King's
library to that in the British Museum ; but lie would not have
them placed in that building, but deposited in another, the situa.
tion of which ought to be selected after the most mature delibe-
ration. A very erroneous opinion had gained ground among
the public, that the house of the Duke of Montague, whicli
had been devoted to die reception of the British Museum,
had been built by the generosity of Louis XIV., to cons.
pensate the English Ambassador at his Court for the destruc-
tion of his own mansion by fire. Louis XIV., however, was
accustomed to build his mansions upon a much more durable
and liberal plan than this manifested. One should 'have sup.
posed that time place which was chosen for the reception of all
the most valuable and curious collections in science and Natu-
ral Philosophy that had been accumulated at the expsnce
and on the account of a great nation, would have been so con.
atrusted as to have possessed some security against the ravages of
accidental fire, :or instance. The fact was, however, that ex.
cepting one dirty old wooden house at the corner of Chancery.:
lane, which was formerly the residence of Isaac Walton, the
British Museum was just about the least fire-proof tenement
in all London.—(A laugh.)--The Honourable Gentleman
then alluded to the calamitous consequences which must ensue
to letters in general front its destruction, if that should ever
happen by lire—a danger, however so possible in its present
condition, that he doubted whether. the building could he
insured at any premium, in any fire-office in London.—(A
laugh.)—het the Committee recollect for a moment, what were
the invaluable treasures already collected under its roof : let
them remember the manuscripts alone, to assist them in forming
some estimate of the magnitude of the property which was even
now exposed taco much jeopardy. Those manuscripts:in Hoh.
and Learned Friend of hia( we presume Sir J. Mackintosh), who
had long propelled to write a History of Englanti.uhear, hear).-
those manuscripts his Honourable and Learned 1, riend had de-
clared to be the sources from whence all the matter of his lib:-
tory was to be derived. Every body, doubtless, had heard of'
the story which was told of Lord Nelson ; who, arriving at
Copenhagen, on the eve of conducting an enterprize to which,
however unpromising in its appearance, he was determined to
ensure success, was ushered up a magnificent staircase, curious.
ly carved, to the royal palace. The gallant Admiral paused for
a moment to consider its richness, and various panelling, for it
was of wood; then, turning to Sir Edward Bury, who accom-
panied him, observed, " Bury, this is extremely handsome, but
it will burn." Now it was hardly possible for any one to as-
cend the staircase of the British Museum, the beauty of -which
was also much insisted upon, without making. precisely the
same reflection.—( Hear ! )—Not to do any injustice to the trus-
tees of the Museum, however, he should mention, that one
place it was at length considered expedient to render tire-proof;
and accordingly a new aortal' outhouse—(a laugh)--of an incom-
bustible fabric, was erected adjoining the Museum. In that in-
combustible place, for better safety, they placed—what ? The
manuscripts 11 No; bat the marbles.—(A laugh.)—The first
thing they did was to place there the Townley Venus ill a circular
sort of closet—(a laugh)—a closet so stnall that Venus could
hardly have found room to bathe in it, though she was herself
represented as about to bathe. But then they had a Piping
Faun ; and this Piping Faun they felt themselves bound to ac.
comniodate with , another closet of, a square figure. Then
they went on to accommodate other figures in an additional
parallelogram, till at last this Townley Gallery was coMpleted
m the line of the British Museum.—(A laugh.)—This was the
taste of the trustees, and the House had heard a great deal
about taste; but it was on that very score that he (Mr. Crakes.)
entreated them to pause, in order that this donation might be
placed in a situation that should reflect credit upon them. He
coniidered that their tastes individually were at stake: the
money might be easily raised and as easily disposed of; but at

I least let them recollect what was due to themselves and to the
t • character of the nation, in the selection they made of a depo-
sitory ; nor let them subject themselves to the same sort of
i : ridicule for au abortive attempt to rival their neighbours iii
t such a selection, which the poet who had satirized the taste of
i England as it prevailed in his day, seemed to imply in these
linim--
. " So when some cit his weak invention racks
t " To dine—like Peers, at Boodle's or Almack's ;"
I [The House would be good enough to observe that in those days
people did dine at Almack's.l—(A laugh.)
" Three roasted geese salute th' astonished eyes,
" Three legs of mutton, and three butter'd pies."
—(A laugh.) ;
To return, however, to the trustees ; they at length im-
ported taste—(Hear !)—froin a country which was said indeed 1
'to have been once the land of arts and sciences ; they bought 11
and imported from Egypt a head of Memnon ; and having •
got it safely home, they discovered that it stood rather higher
than their ceiling.—_{dear!) !)—Then they wanted a place to
hold the head, and two other huge Egyptian relics of a sin-
gular shape; so they built a double cube, which was the
continuation of 'the aforesaid parallelogram. Unfortunately it
turned out that this head of Memnon was a dev'lish long head
(a laugh),—insomuch that they were obliged to raise the ceiling
of his closet somewhat higher—(a laugh),—so that the roof of
the closet which held the Townley Venus was at one elevation,
and the roof of the closet which Inclosed the Memnon's head
was at another. The arrangement of these different closets was
' so odd, the closets themselves were so dissimilar the one from
the other, that they were, as Shaloyeare said,
" Each monstrous, till its fellow came to match it."
In all that be had said he would wish the House to observe
that he was satisfied no doubt could exist as to the purity laid
disinterestedness with which the affairs of the British Museum
were administered.' No person could in reason doubt of the
earner ness or zeal of the Trustees—(hear, bear !)—but all that,
he complained of was, that that zeal had hitherto taken a rather
tortuous. and unsightly direction. He would submit to the
House, that in regard to any proposed new building for
these books, a whosesome doubt ought to be entertained
about their selection of the architecture. It had been said
that this was a new era of taste in England : and he
hoped the truth of the assertion would be testified in that fie-
lection. In conclusion, he would suggest that it would be bet-
ter, by way of amendment, to leave out of the motion all words
that had relation to the British Museum, and make the grant
of money to the King merely, to he disposed of by and with
the advice of Parliament.
Mr. BANKES, as an individual connected with the im-
portant trusts of which the management of the British Museum
was the principal object, felt that a very personal attack had
been made upon him.
Mr. CROFTER rose to order. lie disclaimed any intention
of personal attack. ..
Mr. BANKES said, however that might be, the Hon. Gentle-
man
had not been very scrupulous to adhere to facts as they now
,
stood ; and from the total error under which lie appeared to la-
hour as to the internal arrangementof the British Museum, he Mr..
Bankes) was apt to suppose that the Hon. Gentleman had not
very lately visited that establishment. The form and figure
and disposition of the vestibules and compartments of the gal-
lery of marbles, the Hon. Gentleman had described to be what
they most undoubtedly were not at this day. Even the terms
lie had employed were, neither in their acceptation nor ac-
couling to the most common definitions of. geometry, cor- •
rect. The Townley Venus was placed in. a rotunda, and not i
in a closet ; which rotunda, to be sure, was perhaps scarcely -
large or majestic enough for the treasures of art which it i.
contained. As to the plan of the gallery, it was perfectly uni-
form
in ,the original desom—a design which was not completed
at different periods of time, but produced at once, and at a
time much anterior to the head of the Memnon. The building
which contained that head, the" lion. Ciendeman had described
as containing two other pieces of antique sculpture, of which
he had been pleased to speak in the most slighting terms. It
was hardly necessary for hint (Mr. 13ankes)to erilurge, however,
on the value of these two sarcophaguses, which had attracted
tinieovlla;tentiligr e admiration oanfacilelnut scienailliipltuledres ;
arts,intheth:one
which was the
anti possessing any
gift of his late Majesty was of very singular beauty and rarity.
—As to the story which the Honountble Gentleman had told
k
the House about Lord Nelson and the staircase of the Palace
at Copenhagen, nothing could have been much mare unfortun-
ately chose(' by him in the way of illustration. The fact was,
that the staircase at the British Museum was not of wood,
but of stone,—(a laugh),—and therefore, all that the Honour-
ablehear hear!)—As to the Museum staircase being matter of ossibot,tl the
application
first Gentlemanwu
0 fno
o manner i ad said
admira-
tion, everycomtlonistthieblseectoiantititr_e
(onfetalrie,
in which it was turned over a half-arch; but this the Hon.body would deem it to be so who looked at the way
Gentleman had not mentioned. With respect to what had been
said about receiving this accession of books in the present build-
ing, l' ft
'ndow must be boe et up; an tle rooms it ont
it was perhaps sufficient to say, that in order to do so,
every wi .
I e roof. Now no Honourable. Member could he
(Mr. 13ankes) s pi,
. 0.. to be so utterly destitute of taste, as.,
•
could wis 1 so to demolish the paintings of the Eng- i
that he
lish and French schools which at present adorned the ceilings. 1
of the Museum. As to die objections which another Member
had taken as to the situation of this establishment lie (Mr.
skylights
Bankes) begged to observe that the situation of a public li- i
library ought to be ouite central; and the Banqueting-room tic
Wilhelm% which had been proposed, was by no means of that 't
character. As little central as the lion. and Learned Member
(Sir J. Mackintosh) seemed to consider the present site of the
Aluseurn, he might be surprised to learn that fretpletitly it re- 1
in t i
ceived on one day as ninny as 2,000 visitors. Thu flop, Gen-
tleman (Mr. 13ankes) then entered into a general defence of
I the conduct of the trustees, and declared his intention of oppos. ' I.;
ing itie ttniewlment. .
Sir C. LONG defended the conduct of the trustees, and said
that the Hon. Secretary of the Admiralty. was completely tuts- ; .1,
informed as to what passed in the Committee. r.
$
Mr. CROKEIt explained. . t
Mr. 0. BEN NET complained of the want of convenience
pose. The lion. Member also censured
b y tiliaessa.reb
ohui
steecets,
which was felt in the British Aluseon, and said that much ' t
money had been expended on that bulistliog to very little pur-
iennimtelgoyenedt.tibtyre•
et. Government,
the .„7 eoic. kr sr
iconstructediig
particu-
larly to the k, excrescence" on the House of .14o:41., and the .
6i , i
i r. 11. GURNEY concurred in the vote propog.ld 1:1 the
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. AIABERLY thought that the disposition of the mu.neY
which was to be expended in u new building should he plueed.Pl 1
the hands of a Committee.

Mr. HOBIIOUSE rose to withdraw his motion. He would
take that opportunity of observing, that his Hon. and Learned.
Friend (the 11lember for knaresborough) had attacked, not any
thing certainly which he (Mr. Hobhouse) had stated, but some-.
thing which he had himself advanced. Like Tom Thumb, "he
made the giants first, and then he killed them." Ills lion.
and Learned friend had broached a plan which he (Mr. Hob-
house) thought was as liable to objection as any which had
been proposed front any other quarter. Ile wanted we library
to be erected on Consututional-hill, in order that Ilyde,-cark
H
might be converted into a walk tbr philosophers. e Mr.
Hobliouse) would recommend that there should be a little
Academe's in the same place, for the metaphysieiims of the
north.—(A laugh.)
After a few words from Mr. WILBERFORCE,
Mr. CROKER moved as an amendment, Ili:), w,Aft
" British Museum," in the original motion be ()wit:. st.
Mr. 11U311•; wished the present building to be pi;il,tl
and a new, one erected on its site.
The Commiitee then divided—the numbers were--
For the original Motion, M J Against it, 30 I Majority, !24.
CAPTAIN 31 A. NB Y.
The House having resolved itself into a Contmittee of
Supply, a Restintion, granting 2000/. to Captain Manby, for
hi, services in saving the lives of shipwrecked seamen, was
moved and agreed to.—The Report was ordered to be receired
on Monday.
The House resumed, and, the other Orders of the Day
being disposed of, adjourned at a QUART Ea nErOTIE Two
o'CLocx.

i

14«

A LIST OF THE MINORITY
Who voted on the Duke of Devonshire's Motion for an In.
quiry into the State of Ireland. -
PRESENT. PROXIES.
Duke of Somerset Earls Thanet Duke of Bedford 'll,
Devonshire Cowper Marg. of Downshire !0
Grafton (hey Earls Wahlegrave
Leinster Breadalbane. Albemarle
,Marquis Larisdown Denbigh Charlemont
Earls Darlington Vivounts Cliftien B o esborottgh ,i
Rosslyn Anson Ftyrtescue
Rosebery Lords Belhaven Spencer
Lauderdale G wydir M into
Grosvenor King Derby
Carnarvon Cawdor Visas. Bolingbroke
Donoughmore Lynedock Duncan
Gosford • Alvanley Lords Yarborough
Caledon Auckland Crewe
Tankerville Saye and Sele Thtndas
Cork Foley Suffield
Jersey
ter Holland
Ilehes !)acre
Elionborough
Essex Bolton
Darnley Calthorps.
Clare t._,,

.

C~

PARIS PAPERS.

[From Mt Moniteur.l

REPORT Or THE LiEuTt )(ANT-GENERAL, COMMANDING
THE DIPISIoN OF THE EAwrERN PYRENEES, TO THE
MINISTER AT WAR.

" PERPIGNAN, JUNE 13.

" MONSEIGNEUR—In my letter of yesterday, 1 had the
honour to inform your Excellency that the enemy was march-
ing on our frontier by the defile of Manera, and to acquaint you
with the dispositions I have made for opposing his movements,
sind I have now to state what has since occurred in the direction
of Pratz di 310110.

"On the 12th of June, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the
King's Lieutenant at that place informed me that at noon the
enemy occupied Roquebrune with about 2,000 men and 60
horse; and that he had learnt from some muleteers who ar-
. rived on that day from Campredon with passports, signed on
the 12th, that Baron d'Eroles was not at Campredon as he had
expected. On receiving this information I wrote to General
Vicomte d'Arnault, who was at Ceret, to proceed instantly to
Prate di Mollo and act according to circumstances, acquainting
me with his movements that I might second his efforts ; and in
order that the pass of Arles, which is at the entrance of the
valley of St: Laurente de Cerdans, might not be left exposed,
I directed General d'Arnault to place a company of grenadiers
of the 69th line, and a company of horse artillery of the 4th
Regiment, to watch it, while he marched rapidly on Pratz di
'Aiello with the rest of the troops. All these movements were
executed at the same time.

" During these operations, the enemy's column, under the
orders of Mina, had taken the route to Campredon ; but when
le arrived within three quarters 'of a league of that city, he
suddenly retrogaded, and marched on Presto.

" Yesterday I received a letter frnin lien. Baron de Damns;
dated Llier, the 12th inst. informing me that Baron de'Brolles
had written w him, in which he says, that, thinking Nina
would retreat on Cardona, he was marching in that direction.—
Another report informs me that General Romagosa occupies
Dorri. _ _

" General Baron de Dams% informs me. by a letter written
at ten o'clock in the morning of the 13th from Pcralada, that
he has re-occupied all his positions round Figueras, in order
that he may not lose sight of the object with which he is more
immediately charged..
" The Lieutenant-General, commanding the Division
of the Eastern Pyrenees,
" ROTTENBOURG."
PARIS, JUN It 18.—A letter, written. by Marshal Moncey
. to the Due do 13elluno, dated Vich, the 11th June, at noon,
announces, that according to the latest intelligence, Mina was
marching on Llherono. Baron d'Sroles was with his troops at
Tonella and Montagut.
I From the Journal du Commerce.]
PARIS, JULY Io.—With respect to what has taken place in
Spain, we may state, notwithstanding the reserve and doubt
to which we are doomed, that we are only at the first period of
the war. Conquered at Baylen, under the walls of Seville, and
the King even carried off, and reigning by a Regency instead
of by the Cortee, still the occupation of Madrid will only have
terminated the first period of the war.
The resistance of all the fortresses, the useless treason of
it .abist~sl, the organization of Morillo in Galicia, the sorties
of'Santona and Pampeluna, the defeat of Bessieres at Madrid,
the retreat of Gen. Zayas, thereturn of Ballasteros to Valencia,
after having dispersed the bands which besieged it, the necessity
l'or the march of General Molitor upon that town, when his
presence in Catalonia was so much wanted, the actions of Cas-
teltersol, of Mataro, and of Vich—the small half of Catalonia
alone detaining a whole army—Mina presenting himself every
where, attached no where, and even comtng. into France to de.
anonstrate to our peasants that his cause is not lost ; that his
.soldiers have not abandoned hini 4 • that they are neither dead,
• mor dying, neither emaciated by fatigue; nor poor, nor cruel.
not there some symptoms of life in the Government of
Seville?
The Constitutional deserters, some of whom have taken re-
fuge in the French army, only to make observations and corn.
municate our proceedings to the enemy, are diligently watched.
One of the latest of these fugitives, who said he had ahem.
doneA the battalion of Laredo, and who is thought to be a
' nephew of Mina, and his spy, has been lately arrested at the
post of Saber. After being interrogated, he was, conducted into
the prisons of .Foix.
In Bayonne and the neighbourhood, peat stork of provi-
sions continue to be tbrmed, which leads to a belief that a part
of our army has, fur some time, drawn its subsistence from
France. On the 11th, a new convoy of about thirty waggons,
with four horses each, arrived at Bayonne. It is said that six
hundred are to arrive In succession, as they get ready in the
. interior.
It is stated from Chalons-stir-Saone, under the date of' the
• 13th, that the 51st and 46th regiments of the line had passed
;:that town some days before, on their way to the south.

( From the Constitutionnel.
PERPIGNAN, 'JUNE 10.—Mina having visited all the French
Villages of Cerdagne, defiled his whole army on the 7th by the
'Col de Tosas and was himself the last to leave Palau when he
)Sad seen all his army over the mountain and masters of the defile.
We have no news from Campredon later than the llth. We
know not whether Mina marched from thence upon Figueras
At upon Olot. It appears, however, that his movements in
the rear of our army are supported by troops from Barcelona,
to the number of II or 900 men, find employment for the
slivision of Count Curial. These are the troops which advanced
or; the 4th upon Mataro, and it is in consequence of this move-
merit that Count Curial has evacuated that town, and concen-
trated his troops at GretlOileS.
PARIS, JUNE 19.—Mina, who has been ten times reduced
lb the last extremity, pursued, attacked, and taken, has at
length come into,France, at the head of 3,000 men. and has
returned into Spanish Cerdagne, disengaging himself from the
purinit and mancitivres of the French army. Ten times also
have the people of Seville risen against the Cortes; the regi-
Meat of Marines &dared in favour or absolute ower ; and
the King been carried oil' by tire
,partisans of the Faith :—but
thetonsntional Government of Spam still exists ; and the only
question now is, whether Ferdinand is still at Seville, or has
set out for Cadiz with the Members of the Government ?
[Front the Quotidielme.l
Mauarn, JuNE 10.—Among the Decrees published by the
Regency of the Kingdom, is one which orders the celebration
of .a funeral service in all the churches, for the victims sacri-
ficed on, the 20th May by the troops of Zayas. There is ano-
. thee decree disbanding the regiments of Guadalaxara and Jai-
sitania, for. having committed this barbarous act upon the
peaceable inhabitants of the capital: the guilty, moreover, arc
to be prosecuted with all the rigour of the -laws. An order has
also been given to aid the widows, the children, and relatives
of the victims-,
It appears that England has made a declaration of her deter-
,minatlon to abandon her neutrality in favour of France, if the
..revolutionists do not release the King and Royal Family within
n given period. The Gibraltar squadron has put to sea, to
cruise err Cadiz, and support this resolution of the English
Cabinet.,

~UiOVER.SITY INTELLIGENCE.

cAmmtlx,ow, . VRIRAT. JUNE 20.—Sir William Browne's
ik old medal.; for thy'utreek odedge and for the Greek and Latin
adju as
tpigranr; were ',ester."
lL
in L'l'turn Virid admofolldumws :
Reverendi Doc.
G a E EN 0DE....-
tissimique Thomre .Fenshalve Middleton, Episcopi Cal.
euttensis.
Tu Winthrop Mackworth Pr.lecly Trinity College.
GREEK LPL—Bay rf cVIX.OI-"6/15.1 Ecill iroXul-tatOnf.
.. LXTIN BPI.--'os' 4)guyEt 7.74X1v I.4a,V;ceral•
To John Wilder, Fellow of King's College.
i
'.. LATIN. ODE.--:Africalii Cateals ,11 .Vin:t.--No prize ad-
judged.
• thcroart, Just 20.—Tuesday, June 27, the following De.
grees were conferred :
'Bachelors bi Divinity.—The Rev. William Mills and the
ite
-v, George Booth, Fellows of 3lagdalen Colleiv
Bad • civill --John Nichol), Esq. se'
time Stu.
to .---
1 , e r in,aw.
i (lent of Christ Church Grand Compounder.
i Masters of Arts.--. Charles John 'Plumer, Es q. iellow of
. f)riel Colic Edw. I 'I 1) B k itl 11l
e the Rev. l' eo..t m rose ec w ).; ag.
. d
alou College; Henry3randreth and John Pruen, St. ;folio's
College. Y
- T _ Bachelors of Arts.—George 'Watson, Brasenose College;
44eveson Smith, Christ Church.
TEccleslaslical Prefertsarnts.—ahe Rev. Thomas Homer, of
3ifillitY College, bunbridge, 'is elected second Master of
afield Free Grammar School. The Rev. L. Attila!, 13. A.,
lies„ been licensed to the perpetual Curacy of Itumburgh, Suf.
:)t1 with the perpetual Curacy
_l'>f St. Michael Southelinham
• illexedt. on'the nomination of Mrs. Atthill. The Rev. Wm.:
Stan Jones, of tho King's School, Canterbury, anti of Cliel-
, is appointed Domestic Chaplain to the Barones!
uu!rager Lavuigton.