The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-14 00:00:00

MENTS.

Mr. HUME rose, pursuant to notice, to call the
attention of the House to the Report of the Select
Committee on National Monuments,. in June, 1841,
and to move a humble address to her Majesty, pray-
ing that she will be graciously pleased to give. direc-
tions to the Trustees of the British Museum and of
the National Gallery, to the authorities having charge
of the Armouries and Jewels in the Tower of Londoni
Ito the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, and,tO
all persons having the management . or direction of
public edifices and cathedrals,, for the adoption of
those facilities and improvements recommended in
,that Report. It had long been the reproach
of . the British people, that they could not
admitted to public monuments on account of their
disposition to deface them. He had always observed
that where confidence was not placed in men, and
where they were treated with distrust, they were in-
different to derive confidence. But on the other
hand, whenever they felt that confidence was reposed
in them, they endeavoured to justify it. And it was
proved that he was right, when the people were admitted
to the National Gallery and to the British Museum;
for it was found that their conduct perfectly proved
that no inconvenience whatever, and no injury
whatever to the treasures which those places con-
tained, was to be apprehended from admitting them.
in 1841 he obtained a Committee to inquire
into the subject to which his present motion referred,
but the shortness of the Session prevented them from

doing to it all the justice they wished. They thought
that admittance to view collections of works of art
was a species of education to those who could not be
educated in any other way, and there was a
very large number in this country in that con-
dition, and who could neither read nor write. He be-
lieved it would be found that the character of
every nation was formed by its public institutions.
He thought on this account he might claim the attention
and indulgence of the House. He could not do better
than refer to the Report of the Committee of 1841. Upon
that Committee were the present Chancellor of the
Exchequer and the Right Hon. Member for Notting-
hamshire, and upon that Committee only one division
took place, and that was respecting three words only.
That question was merely as to whether the public
institutions should be opened on Sunday or not.
He believed that the adoption of the practice would
have a most beneficial effect upon the working classes.
If the working classes and their wives were admitted
to the National Gallery, the British Museum, and
other public institutions, not only would gratification
and amusement be afforded to the whole family,
but the husband would at the same time be kept from
the ale-house, where too often be spent his money,
and contracted the most injurious habits. There was
no country where the people were more attentive to
the duties of religion than the people of Holland, yet
in that country all the public institutions, collections
of paintings and museums were thrown open on Sun-
days. He therefore thought that greater facilities should
be afforded to the people of this country to visit the
public institutions. He wished lion. Gentlemen
would visit the Regent's-park on Sundays, and they
would see it crowded with families enjoying
themselves in its healthy atmosphere so much
much better than what they could have at
home in their cellars and rooms. But he
would not be satisfied with that, for he wished to
see them also pass through the halls of the Museum,
when every object which presented itself to them
would be one of instruction, or would lead to further
inquiry. This was a religious question in his view, and he
would press it on the attention of the House in that
view. He hoped that, as the inhabitants of other
parts of the town had opportunitios of recreation, the
inhabitants near the ;Victoria Park would have tan
area in it for amusement, and that similar opportunities
would be provided for the inhabitants of Lambeth and
Bermondsey. And if there were no Crown lands in those
places an exchange might be made. The evidence of C 01.
Rowan before the Committee, showed the advantage
of such places in the decrease of crime, and in the im-
proved habits of the people, and that, in con-
sequence of them, one policeman was now suffi-
cient where ten were required before.—(Hear, hear.)
His wish was that children and all other parties
should have admission to the British Museum, to
Hampton Court, and to the National Gallery. He
also thought that an end should be put to the present
custom -of requiring one member of each party enter-
ing the Museum to write his name in a book. Much
inconvenience was created by the practice, and it led
to no beneficial result. It was seventeen years since
the National Gallery was established, but it was only
a few years ago since it was thrown open to the pub-
lic. Since this latter period the number of visitors
had increased daily. On Easter Monday last between
15,000 and 16,000 persons had visited the National
Gallery. In the course of the year 1841 the
number of persons who had passed through the
National Gallery was 538,331, and up to June,
1842, the number for the half year was 370,105.
With respect to the Tower, when the admission was
25., only 800 visited it in a year, while after the
reduction to 6d., the number who visited it during
the same period was upwards of 2,674. The de-
struction of the whole Armory had been supposed
to have taken place, such, however, was
not the case, the ancient Armory still existed,
and was open to the public. He trusted
that the hurriod manner in which persons were taken
over the Tower would be put a stop to. With re-
respect to the Crown jewels the admission to them
was originally two shillings ; it had since
been reduced to sixpence, and the result
was that the number of persons visiting the Jewel-
room was greatly increased. Since Hampton Court
liad been thrown open free of expense, the number
of visitors to that Palace had greatly increased.
Since that period upwards of 3,000 persons had
passed through that palace in one day. The open-
ing of Hampton-court Palace had been of great
benefit to the metropolis. In order to make
a visit, the poor people collected a shilling
each, and they formed a party in a waggon, con-
taining 50 or 60 persons ; and 15, 20, and even
30 waggons went of a day, accompanied by
bands of music. Thus the people of Spital-
fields had a day's pleasure and recreation
for a shilling. He would hastily mention Greenwich
Hospital. At the time the Committee sat Greenwich
Hospital was shut to every body but soldiers.
Sailors were excluded from the Hall, and it
was by his (Mr. . flume's) writing to the
Governor that they were admitted. There
was one more point to which he wished to call
the attention of the House, namely, the admission of
the public to the Cathedral. The Committee had
recommended, that for one or two 'hours in every day
of the week, they should he thrown open to the public,
free of all charge. Mr. Cunningham and several
other gentlemen, who were thorougly competent
to form an opinion, had stated that they had not
found the least disposition to mischief on the part of
the visitors 'to Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's.
The cathedrals of Norwich, Bath, and York
were, he believed, already open to the public
during certain hours of the day.—(Hear, hear.)
With those exceptions, he regretted to say that he did
not know of any others that had changed their system.
Crowds of visitors were excluded from the cathedrals,
Many who were desirous of seeing those cathedrals
had to send for a person to show the place
to them, and if they did not pay them libe-
rally, the persons who showed the cathedrals behaved
in such a manner as to give to strangers anything but
a favourable opinion of the manner in which these
things were conducted in this country. He hoped the
Right Hon. Baronet and the Right Hon. the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, would use their influence with the
Chapter to prevent these abuses. It had been
objected to him that he would 'turn the cathedrals into
show-houses. The fact was the present system did.
that; it turned them into show-houses for money. The
Museum at the East India House had been opened
to the public once a week. The Society of Arts
had thrown open their museum, and many other in-
stitutions, both in t )wn and country, had also been
thrown open.' In Newcastle, the institution had
been thrown open to the public with the
greatest advantage. There was a gallery of
pictures at Dulwich, which had been left to
the public. He was sorry to say that lie had
not been able to induce the Warden of that College
to throw the Gallery open to the public. Persons de-
sirous seeing the Gallery, were obliged to procure
tickets from some booksellers in London ; and many
poor persons were unable to procure admittance, in
consequence of being obliged to obtain these tickets.
There was the Royal Academy, which had cost the
nation a large sum of money, and it did nothing in
return for the people. They ought to recollect that
they had the means of supporting that institution from
the people, and he would only ask whether it was
not fair that the people should share the benefit?
All he asked was that the public should have
a week to see the institution, or one day in the week
for that purpose. He had patiently and persever-
ingly brought this subject before the House, and
he would continua to do so till he succeeded.
He was glad that in several parts of the country,
institutions and museums were springing up.
The Hon. Member concluded by moving " An humble
address to her Majesty, praying that she will be gra-
ciously pleased to give directions to the Trustees of the
British Museum and of the National Gallery, to the au-
thorities having charge of the armouries and jewels of
the Tower of London, to the Commissioners of Green-
wich Hospital, and to all other persons having the
management or direction of public edifices and cathe-
drals, for the adoption of those facilities and improve-
ments recommended in that Report."
. _

Mr. EWART soconded the Motion. A Commission
had been appointedin France, by M. Guizot, to inspect
and report upon national monuments, he was of opinion
that such a Commission would be very advan-
tageous to this country. Every national monu-
ment presented a spectacle at once interesting
and useful to the historical student.

[LEFT SPEARING.]

EARTHQUAKE AT HAYTI.
(EXTRACT OF A PRIVATE LETTER.)
PORT AU PRINCE, MAY 1 6.—1 wrote to you on the
11th by the packet a long account of the effects of
the late awful earthquake as far as Port au Prince
and Gonaives were concerned.
On the 12th I' wrote you a letter,. via New York,
giving you the still more afflicting account of the de-
struction of Cape llaytien. This last account 'hes
been confirmed, and each succeeding report adds to
the horror and consternation first felt, by the particu-
lars of the event. Some that we feared for are safe
•
—others, no more.
Among the
,sufferers, or dead, are Mr. Dupuy's
mother, his sister, Mrs. John Blain, whom you knew
and liked so much. Mdlle. Theogene Dupuy, Mdlle.
Cerfberr, and whole families of respectability buried
alive, or crushed to atoms, amidst the ruins. The last
estimate is from 70,000 to 80,000 souls—two-thirdi
of the population of the Cape—not a house ,is left
standing—those persons that have escaped are
,in ge-
neral badly wounded. To give you some idea how in-
stantaneous was the destruction, two gentlemen were
sitting before their doors, and jumping out of the way
at once, one had his arm, the other his leg fractured
by the ruins. The air they say is pestilential, and to
complete the scene of misery thousands of the savages
from the plains and mountains are now pillaging the
ruins, in organised and armed bodies, plundering the