Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-25
The British Museum.

Almost in the exact territorial center OF that
eight by twelve miles portion of London which
lis usual to include in the best maps OF that
| metropolis, is situated a huge quadrangle of
buildings, nearly an eighth of mile square,
| which is known to the intelligent world as the
British museum. AS the bird flies, it is mile and
a half due n. of Westminster Abbey, the same
| distance n. L. of Apsley house and the corner
| of Hyde park, and a mile and quarter N. w.
| of st. PauPs. 1t may interest our readers to
| have that amount of more definite knowledge
| concerning an institution so much the admira-
ton of the scholars Of the world, which may
| be compressed into such an article as this.
The British museum is vast and constantly
| increasing collection of books, manuscripts,
| prints, CONS, medals, sculpture, antiquities of
| all sorts, and indeed of whatsoever may Illus
| trate science, art, and il might perhaps be said
| universal knowledge. Ii originated in an offer
made in his will TO parliament by Sir Hans
Sloane, who died in 1853, of the mass of books,
MSS, works OF art, and natural and artificial
curiosities which he had spent his life, and at
least ESQ 900 in collecting, for the sum of f20,-
900; to the end that these things, tending many
ways TO the manifestation of tine glory of God,
the confutation Of atheism, and its consequences,
the use and improvement of physic, and
other arts and sciences, and benefit of
mankind may remain together and not
be separated, and be settled for the public uses"
Parliament, thus appealed to, authorized the
raising of f300,000 by lottery; out Of which
100000 was paid as by this will for the Sloane
collection, 10000 for some 10000 volumes of
manuscripts and above 10000 original charters,
rolls, and so forth, which Mr.. Robert Harley had
gotten together and f10,250 for the Montagu
house in Bloomsbury, built Tor the duke of
Montagu, and long the residence Of the earl of
Halifax, in which these collections were deposit
ed under the care of trustees. These trustees
now consist of4S-23 er otieiO, by their hold
ing some stipulated national position, one by
the queens appointment, nine representing the
Shame Cation Harley 1OUulav Ioin nd
Payne knight families, and IS chosen by the 9TH
err SO. The rapid increase of the collections rem
dered enlargement necessary, and Montagu
house was fiually destroyed in 1915, and the
present pile of buildings took its place, the new
reading room beng completed by grants of
parliament and opened TO the public during
1857.
Among the departments here existing filed
with objects of curious interest are that of
Egyptian antiquities, the finest in the world;
that of Ninevite remains, due largely to DIR.
Layard; the Etruscan room crowded with Italian
vases of marvellous beauty; the Elgin and other
ancient marbles, world famous; the Townley
collection of ancient art; the Bronze room;
miscellaneous curiosities; Roman-British an
tiqultes; the coin and medal department-un-
surpassed if not indispensable in its line; the
print-room, valuable though less extensive in
proportion than Others and the departments of
mineralogy, geology, zoology, and natural
science, all attractive and greatly nseful to
Probably the richest thing about the British
museum, howeyer-as surely that which at
tracts the largest number within its walIs-is
its unique and invaluable collection of books.
pamphlets, and manuscripts, made free by its
exceedingly liberal policy, without stint or
limit, to any respectable inquirer from any quar-
ter of the globe. The library and reading room
have always formed principal feature OF the in
stitution. Upon the basis of the original Sloane
collection was Immediately superadded the Cot
oh, I.r..l
ton by William H., in 1900; and in 1851, George
IL. added still further the royal library of about
10000 volumes, founded by Henry VII. From
that time to the present, books of all lands and
in all languages have been added by gift-in the
wholesale, OF libraries, including George HIS
"King's library" of 10000 volumes, &C., or the
retail of individual offerings by copyright law,
and by purchase, until it will be difficult TO tell
how many volumes it contains, but probably it
would be safe to say between one and two mil
lions; while it is deliberately intended 10 make
1t include, as time and opportunity serve, every
printed volume and tract, even down TO the
funeral sermon that is preached in the remotest
| good man gonel
| Afhuent and attractive as is this assemblaoe
| Oh printed DOCKS, the department of MANUSCRIPTS
| goes far beyond it in interest Tho same baoly
may be III from one TO ten thousand places. as
the rule, manuscript is local and single while
the sort OF value which original manuscrints
private letters, niaries, hrst draughts OF papers
afterwards modlned, and so forth, have in illus
trating the facts Of the past is often upioue and
conclusive-as witness the use lately made of
them by Mr.. Froude in rewriting the iife and
times Of Henry VIII. AS we have said the
Sloane collection in the beginning contained an
element OF manuscripts. There have been added
10 1t from time to time, the Cotton, Arundel.
Burney, E9erton, Harleian, Hargraye Lans.
downe, Kings's and Royal, Topham and Wolley
collections 10 the mass, together with multitudes
| IN smaller numbers, until now it is estimated
that the library contains nearly $4,000 volumes
of MSS. leach volume containing usually a
large number Of separate papersl, together with