The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-26 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL ELECTION COMMITTEE.

Mr. BANNERNIAN reported to the House that Eliza-
beth 11,,bins.in had refus«.l to answer question■ put to her
tl e Committee.—Ordered to attend the House to-
morrow. \

Mr. KENNEDY brought up the report of the Corn-
mittee on Scotch Entails.

BRITISH MUSEUM.

Mr. BERNAL brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee of Supply, of Friday last, voting 16,000/. to the
British Museum, for the ensuing year.

On the question, that the resolution be read a second
time, beinq put,
111 r. COBBETT said that he rose to object to
16,0001 h•ing paid out at the general taxes of the country
for the supp.ot of what was called the Briti-h 111u.eum
lie remembered that, %Alien Mr. Ba ks had the manage-
-111811 t of this estitna'e, it used not to .xceed 10.000/.
hear.) lie had always, however, thought
It unjust. awl he certainly did not think it th-
lea tit.just. because the charge was 16,000/. instead of
10,000/ For whose use was this sum ? Certainly for the
tr-e of nobruly who did not live near Load, n. He
found among the charges 1,000/. for insects. Now what
use could those iosects be To the weavers of Latvashi,C or
the rough men ot Kent? Certainly there was precedent
for paying for insects which were of no use, for
th,re were plenty of insects about the Gov. rti-
matt. But it might he said that this was
only 16,000/., and 16.000/. was nothing compared with
the millions which they sometimes voted in that House;
but he begged them to remember that million- were made
op of many 16,0001. But he ahonld wject to pay
even 1/. out ot the general tax of the country for the
hen. at a array t calm- el .vs. Now this Museum was entir. ly
for the uae of carious, rico persons, who, having nothing
else to do, might go and to mee away their time there
He had h. and it slid, that there were books there
which people went to consult. Now, he had
live I its London off and on for thitty year,,_had
written a few volumea during that period, and did not
even know his way to the British illti,eum—(Laughter)
--.and if he did, cettainly he should not go to view its
content:. The Noble Loud had said that he could not
spire the mait, so;:p, and newspaper taxes. N
although this did not amount to th 2 malt t.x of four
millions, yet it was a part of four millions, and would go
come way towards relieving the people. This, however,
was to be Lept ap fur the lien. fit ot the aristocracy and its
.lependents.—(A laugh.) They would see :hat it was so,
if the return of the person, who held ,Aces in the British
Museum, among whom salaries to the amount of 10,000/.
were divided, was granted.
A AlinthEii—You have the lints already.

Mr. CORBETT—Not in this year's return, and when
we set it, I dare say we shall find that some of the maids
that sweep the rooms are daughters of managers of the
concern. Certainly, a more scandalous j, b than this of
th' Britiah Museum he did not know of.—(Laughter.)
None more scandalous had certainly ever even disgr.ce,i
this Government, and thdt was saying a great deal, in-
deed.—(Latigh,er.) He begged to move that the report
be re-committed.
The question having hven put,

Lord ALTHORP said he was satisfied that there sv,is
no other Member in ihe House who could say that the
Promotion of science in this country was of no tise
(Cheers.) Certainly he was not much surprised at the
statement which had been made by the Hon. Member
for Oldham ; for about a week or ten days ago
he bid heard that Honourable Member say, that
education was of no use—( Hear, hear, hear)—but he
was certain he would find no man of any education,
we.slth, or respectability in the country, who would join
him in saying that this it,stitution was of no use whatever.
He agreed with V e Hon. Member that the fact of the
amount being small would be no defence of the grant, if
it were nut for a most useful object. But every
person of education in this country must see
that the promotion of science deeply interested every in-
dividual pia a.? community. An institution of this kind
was maintained by 6irc.oar, riery civilized country in the
world, and so far from England having been extravagant
in respect of it, our r, proach has been, that we have been
tco economical as regards objects of this kind.

Mr. WARIIIURTON said he would not take upon
him to say whethc every p irt of the 16,000/. w
judiciously expended, hut with Tqgard to the gen,ral
principle. of maintainin,z an institution of this kind at the
e;:penae of the public he had no doubt. It was stand in the
eviden,;;e g;Yen before the RA committee that one rea,.on why
foreign manufazyrets frequently had the st..rt of ours
%vas, that in foreign couiair;” every opportunity was given
of cu!tivating the taste of the poorer cleans. The object
of this institution was to collect all the wooers of
natura and art, and its benefits were not confined to the
inhabitance its visiters; for by means of the cheap
publications the content:. the Museum were made
known throughout the country. There ;:o-,;hl not be a
doubt that ultimately the adv ,ntages of such an institution
would be nfi,at felt by the humbler classes themselves.

Mr. FERGUSSON oocsirjered such an institution pro-
ductive of the most material advani4g2 to the country, by
its colleeti,:;us in all the various drpirtmen:s of tr,e srie
arts, scienc,, and catural history, and tended to general
improvernen-, not truly in taste but industry of the
country at

The resolution was then put, and agreed to.
A. message from the jords anuotincett 041 their Lord.