III. THE BRITISH MUSEUM. Or the 750,000 persons who visited the British Museum in 1846; of the 19,000 who visited it in one single day (Easter Monday 1847)-there are none who may not consistently feel proud of such an establishment-there are none who may not congratulate themselves that the invaluable collection there deposited, is the property of one and all of us; that it is ours; and that the contents are becoming more and more appreciated every year by those to whom it has been given, or by whom it has been purchased, and for whose benefit it has been founded. What a change within a dozen years! Those who have watched the progress of the Museum will well remember the old entrance (Cut, No. 1), and the old painted staircase; the giraffes on the upper landing; the room containing Magna Charta,' in juxtaposition with a host of odds and ends to which that venerable document bore but little relation; the old suite of rooms, with the Sandwich Islands' curiosities, and the stuffed animals, and the minerals; the peep, through a glass door, into the long vista of rooms where the Library was kept; the little room up stairs where the exquisite Portland Vase was placed (how humiliating the thought, that through the mad folly of one mischief-maker, this fine work has been with difficulty restored from utter ruin, and is at present not exhibited in the public rooms!); the adjoining room of bronzes and coins and metal antiquities; and the passage on the left of the entrance, leading to the Townley and Elgin collections. Every fragment of the old building is now removed except a few out-offices which have nothing to do with the collection and the visitor has some difficulty in following in his mind the order in which the different rooms succeed each other. Before the reader gets to the end of the present sheet, we hope that he will have something like a map of the building and its arrangements impressed on his thoughts. A liberal act has a sort of double existence: it has a joyous life of its own; and it then lives as an example and a pattern for others to follow. The mode in which this collection has been formed illustrates, in a gratifying way, the good that results from a judicious gift, by inducing gifts from other quarters. In 1753 Sir Hans Sloane, who had accumulated a valuable collection of books, and of specimens in Natural History, which had cost him £50,000, directed that the collection should be offered to the government for £20,000, as the commencement of a national Museum; and the offer was accepted. How (it has been well remarked) bewildered and delighted would Sir Hans be, if he could revisit the collection, and see what has sprung from his bequest! Little would he have anticipated "that the books and manuscripts of which he was so proud, should have swelled into that almost unfathomable ocean of literature which we now call the Museum Library; or that his few and not very valuable works of art, then forming a mere ap pendage to the department of Natural History, would be the germ of a grand school for English sculpture, where the richest treasures of ancient Greece should be the daily text-books of a host of students! Above all, although of course he, and his Parliamentary and other supporters, talked and thought about a people as the recipients of the benefits to be conferred by the new establishment, it is impossible that, with a knowledge of the tastes and education of the middle and poorer classes of the eighteenth century, they could have anticipated the future crowds among which one should with difficulty make way through the Museum Halls." (London, No. 136.) Sloane's Museum thus procured, a fitting home had to be found for it. Montague House, in Great Russellstreet, was purchased for £10,000; and thither was removed the Sloane collection; together with the Harleian collection of manuscripts, the Cottonian library of manuscripts, and the library of Major Edwards; all of which had been acquired by the government from different sources. From that time purchases and donations succeeded each other rapidly. George II. presented the library of printed books which had been collected by the kings of England since Henry VIII., and which included the libraries of Cranmer and Casaubon; and he also annexed to his gift the privilege-since become a very important onewhich the Royal Library had acquired in the reign of Queen Anne, of being supplied with a copy of every publication entered at Stationers' Hall. During the Riches poured in from all quarters. long reign of George III. the collection received vast accessions. That monarch gave a collection of pamph lets relating to the Civil Wars of England. Sir Joseph Banks' Library of Natural History; Dr. Birch's Library; the Musical Libraries of Dr. Burney and Sir John Hawkins; Garrick's collection of Plays; and a large number of other collections-were either presented or purchased. To the manuscripts forming the Sloane, Cottonian, and Harleian collections, were added the Royal, the Lansdowne, the Hargrave, the Oriental, the Arundel, the Bridgewater, and minor collections. To the Natural History specimens of Sloane's collection, were added those which Captain Cook, Vancouver, and other naturalists and men of science, brought home during their exploratory voyages; as well as a rich collection of British Zoology from Colonel Montague; a collection of minerals purchased from Mr. Hatchett; and various zoological and mineral specimens from other quarters. The Fine Arts, at the commencement of the Museum operations, were but little attended to; but this has become, by degrees, one of the most valuable departments. There were, at first, a few coins, medals, drawings, and engravings; but they were not formed into a distinct collection. In 1772, however, an important step was taken, by the purchase of Sir William the collection has been formed could have brought them all into such close union. Even now the keepers of some of the departments begin to hint that the day will come when each one of the three collectionsgrowing equally in excellence and in bulk-will require a large building to itself. It was foreseen, half a century ago, that old Montague House could not afford room for the vast accumulations of which the National Museum consisted; and a plan was formed, after the acquisition of the Egyptian antiquities, in Hamilton's collection of vases, including some of the finest Greek and Roman specimens. In 1801 the Egyptian antiquities and sculptures, the acquisition of which had resulted from Abercromby's campaign in Egypt, were presented by George III. to the Museum. In 1805 the beautiful collection of Townley sculptures was purchased; and by that time the trustees found it desirable to establish a new department in the Museum-the department of Antiquities. In 1814 the Townley collection of bronzes, coins, gems, and drawings, was secured. In 1815 the Phigaleian Sculp-1801, for rebuilding the entire structure on a greatly tures were purchased; and in the following year the Museum obtained possession of that collection, which, in some essentials, is considered to be the finest in the world-the Elgin marbles. Useless would be the attempt to notify all the accessions to the Museum since the time of George III.: they meet the eye of the visitor in every room of the collection. In 1823 George IV. presented the splendid library of his father to the Museum. Major-General Hardwicke bequeathed a collection of stuffed birds. In the department of Antiquities and Fine Arts, the Persepolitan sculptures; the collection of bronzes belonging to Mr. Payne Knight; the bronzes of Siris; the Babylonian antiquities-were successively added. The later we come down, the more rapid do we find the accession to the collection to have become. The Xanthian marbles have been among the most notable acquisitions in Queen Victoria's reign; and the law of copyright, the liberal aid of Parliament, and donations from various quarters, have added to the various departments so rapidly, that it is difficult to keep pace with them. Every year the Trustees make a report to the House of Commons, in which the chief acquisitions are enumerated, whether gifts or purchases. For instance, in 1843 the Museum acquired, in addition to a large number of other treasures, a portion of the Xanthian marbles; Sir Robert Ker Porter's collection of drawings; Chinese curiosities, sent over by Mr. Tradescant Lay; Mexican antiquities, from Captain Nepean; and African curiosities from the conductors of the Niger expedition. In 1844 the curious Chinese bell, and a large addition of Xanthian sculptures, reached the Museum. In 1845, fossil animals from India and America; mammalia and birds from Nepaul; a collection of reptiles found during the expedition of the Erebus' and the Terror;' the two fine models of the Parthenon, by Mr. Lucas; and many minor objects, were added. In 1846 the bas-relief of the Boudrum Mausoleum; Mr. Stuart's collection of vases and terra-cottas; some Babylonian gems; some AngloRoman antiquities; and some very extensive collections in Natural History-were acquired. It is thus that this great national collection has gone on, growing and growing year after year. There are, in fact, three institutions here combined in one-a National Library; a National Gallery; and a National Museum:-the three departments of Literature, Fine Arts, and Natural History, being so completely distinct, that nothing but the circumstances under which enlarged scale. Sculpture galleries were built on the western side; but it was not until 1823 that arrangements were finally determined for pulling down the whole of the old house, and erecting a new, extensive, and uniform structure. The works have been many, many years about: the public have complained, because the riches of the Museum could not be well shown till the buildings were completed; and Sir Robert Smirke has complained, because the funds have not been so advanced by Parliament, as to enable him to carry out his architectural plans so rapidly as he could have wished. But it is, at all events, satisfactory to know that the Museum buildings are now fast arriving at a degree of completeness which will admit of a systematic classification of all the contents-a most important matter, if the collection is to be (as it ought to be) instructive as well as attractive. What is the best mode of seeing the British Museum? How can a visitor so marshal his footsteps and his thoughts, that he shall not get confused by the multiplicity of objects which meet his eye? We would answer-Classify your visits. If you live in London, and can spare an hour, on four or five different days, make four or five visits, and direct your attention, on each visit, to departments which you had purposely omitted before. If you are a 'country cousin,' sojourning temporarily in the giant metropolis, perhaps one visit is all that you can make; but even then it may be worth while to pay a little attention beforehand to what you are about to see, in order that you may select those departments which are most likely to interest you. Many persons feel, that when they leave the Museum after a visit of two or three hours, their thoughts are so filled with a chaos of minerals, stuffed monkeys, Greek statues, beautiful shells, Hindoo idols, vases, humming-birds, Egyptian mummies, monstrous fossil animals, and Polynesian trinkets, that it is difficult to retain a clear idea of any of them. This is a pity. A visit to a part of the collection at one time is much more profitable than a vague attempt to see everything; and we will endeavour to mark out a course for those who are in a position to make a succession of visits. THE FIRST VISIT.-A GENERAL GLANCE. We will here tell the reader a little about what he can not see, as well as many things which he will do well to see with his own eyes. The buildings forming the new British Museum are they are furnished with tables, chairs, desks, pens, and ink, together with catalogues, and other facilities for obtaining the books which they wish to read; but no books are allowed to be taken out of the building. arranged in a hollow square, opposite the four points | an average, about two hundred in the course of a day; of the compass. The southern or Russell-street front is the principal one, and presents to view an imposing columnar façade, of the Ionic order. (Cut, No. 2.) Critics differ a good deal in opinion as to the architectural merits of this front; but with such criticisms we have not here to do. In the centre is a portico formed of a double range of columns, eight in each range; on either side of this is a smaller range of three columns; and at the east and west angles are projecting wings, also surrounded by columns; so that the columns of the whole front are upwards of forty in number. At the extreme west end is a detached building, and there will be another one at the east end, near the junction of Russell and Montague streets: these are to be dwelling-houses and offices for the librarians and chief officers of the establishment. Let us fancy we can have a bird's-eye view of the whole building, before we look at the interior. The central square court measures about three hundred and twenty feet by two hundred and forty. (Cut, No. 3.) There are four stone fronts to the four sides of the building, looking into this court, all having more or less of an architectural character. The buildings at the centre of each side project more than those nearer the corners; and on the western side the Phigaleian and Elgin Saloons project far beyond any rooms on the other three sides. There are two stories of galleries and rooms round the greater part of the building, to some of which the general public are not admitted. For instance, all the ground-floor between the portico entrance and the south-east angle, is occupied as a depository for manuscripts, and as apartments for receiving, sorting, and reading manuscripts. The ground-floor of the greater part of the east side is occupied by the King's library, a magnificent apartment, three hundred feet long. The public used, a few years ago, to be admitted to this library, but the custom is now discontinued; and if any one should complain of this exclusion, we would beg him to consider, that looking merely at the backs of books is not very instructive; while the noise, occasioned by an influx of visitors would inevitably disturb the librarians and students who are engaged there. The Museum visitor must, therefore, be content with knowing that this room is a very fine one, and supplied with a noble collection of books. The entire ground-floor of the north side (nearest to Montague-place) is closed from general visitors, being devoted to literature and study. There are two large reading-rooms, together about a hundred and twenty feet in length, and a library for books, extending two hundred feet. All the books presented by George IV. are deposited in the King's library, just noticed; but the much larger general library, derived from various sources, is deposited in the rooms in this northern range. The frequenters of the reading-rooms are students, draughtsmen, and literary persons, whose admission, upon the most liberal scale, is regulated only by letters of introduction from two housekeepers, and who number, on At the north-west angle of the building, and in one or two other parts, are collections which are not thrown open to the public generally. Among these are the print-rooms, where a valuable collection of engravings is deposited. Other rooms are for the Banksian or botanical collection: an assemblage of books and specimens relating to botany. Coins, gems, and other small but valuable objects, are also placed in rooms to which access can be obtained only by special introduction. The exclusion, in most if not in all cases, is determined on sufficient grounds; either because the objects are really not very interesting to look at by general visitors, or because any injury or derangement of small but valuable articles would be of serious detriment to those who resort to them for purposes of study. It may be rather tormenting for the visitor to be thus told of a number of fine things which he must not have a peep at; but he meets with ample recompense when he considers how vast is the assemblage to which free access is afforded him. Whether he moves in the ranks of the rich and influential, or wears a humble fustian jacket, he finds this free ingress equally afforded: all that he has to do is to show the common sense and the common justice of respecting and leaving unharmed and untouched the things which he sees. If a higher principle than the miserable one of selfishness be wanting, let him at least consider that he has a share in the property; and that, in protecting what belongs to the nation, he is protecting what, in part, belongs to himself. Now let us walk through the rooms, looking at the general arrangements, but not pausing to closely examine any of the objects. The door in the centre of the portico gives entrance to the new hall, or vestibule, first opened to the public in April of the present year. This is a fine large apartment, worthy of the building to which it gives access-whether or not it be true, as some critics say, that the Doric massiveness of the interior jars with the Ionic lightness of the exterior. On the right are the two statues of Sir Joseph Banks and Shakspere, on either side of a door leading to the Manuscript department; and on the left is the statue of the Hon. Mrs. Damer, the lady sculptor, who left the attractions and fascinations of gay life for the mallet and chisel. In front is a glazed door, which will by and by give an opening to the central quadrangle, the buildings on three sides of which can be well seen from this point. The hall is lofty, and the ceiling is richly painted in encaustic colours, formed into square compartments of divers tints. On the left, close to the front wall of the building, is a passage leading to the various sculpture galleries; and northward of this is the grand staircase,-a noble feature of the building. It may be a matter of taste whether the colours of this staircase harmonize well; or it may be objected that the mixture of real marble and painted imitative marble on the walls is not judicious; but there is quite enough to excite admiration. The ascent of nearly seventy stone stairs-half of them westward and then the other half eastward, the elegant balustrade, and the encaustic work of the ceiling, come with freshness and welcome upon the eyes of those who for many years have been accustomed to the dingy entrances to the Museum. (Cut, No. 4.) Arrived at the top of the stairs, we see before us a range of rooms extending eastward along the building. By the side of the upper part of the staircase, over the passage leading to the sculptures, is an Antiquarian or Ethnographical' room, of which we shall speak anon. The room at the head of the stairs, and immediately over the entrance hall, is devoted to Zoology, and has in its centre a giraffe, whose long neck reaches nearly to the ceiling. Beyond this room, towards the east are two others, devoted like it to Zoological specimens. The Mammalia Saloon' forms the upper story of the south-east angle of the Museum; and from thence proceed a magnificent suite of rooms, called the 'Eastern Zoological Gallery,' extending along the whole eastern side of the building from north to south, and filled with specimens illustrating the natural history of animals. Over the wallcases of this gallery are hung a series of portraits, belonging to the Museum, but rather out of place in their present position. Arrived at the north-east angle of the building, we find a double range of galleries almost as beautiful as the former: they are side by side, and together occupy the upper floor of the whole northern side of the Museum, from end to end. One of these ranges is called the Northern Zoological Gallery,' and the other the Mineralogical Gallery,' devoted to purposes indicated by these names. to contain, ultimately, the greater part of the Townley and Xanthian marbles, many of which are already placed there. The Xanthian room, of which only a few imperfect glances can yet be obtained, is pretty nearly at the south-west angle of the building; and from thence the visitor returns along the lower story of the south side to the Entrance Hall, whence he had set out. Those who have watched from year to year the progress of the Museum, will find illustrated-in the following details contained in the last Report of the Trustees to the House of Commons (March, 1847,)— the mode in which parts of the collection are from time to time removed, in order to carry on the construction of the new building :-" During the last year the Ethnographical collection has been in great part arranged; but its completion has been interrupted by the necessity of appropriating for the present a portion of the Gallery to the exhibition of British Antiquities, until the Gallery destined for such objects shall have been built. The Townley Gallery has been taken down, and the sculptures which it contained have been temporarily placed in the gallery intended for the larger and heavier objects of national antiquities, until the Townley Gallery shall have been rebuilt. The Xanthian Gallery has been completed, and considerable progress has been made in fixing and arranging the various objects which it is destined to contain; but this labour is not yet entirely concluded." It is always worth while to pay a little attention to the topography of a large building like this; for an appreciation of the contents is likely to be aided by a clear idea of the relative position of the rooms which contain them. If the visitor, therefore, will bear in mind that, after having ascended the grand staircase, he traverses the upper floor or story of the eastern half of the south side, the whole of the cast and north sides, and half the west side, that he then descends the north-west staircase, and lastly traverses the lower story of the west side, and half the south side-if he will take note of this, he will have a pretty clear notion of the region which is to be traversed in his pursuit after knowledge and amusement. He will also be able to mark out, on his mental map, those portions of the building which are devoted to study, and are not open to general visitors. But he must be content to remain in ignorance for the present of the treasures stored away in the vaults beneath the Museum. Packing-cases out of number are there deposited, waiting until room is found for the sculptures, antiquities, and other specimens which they contain. At the north-west angle we find a staircase leading down to the lower story; but before descending this, we will turn round to the left, and glance through a range of rooms leading along the west side of the building, and devoted to the reception of Egyptian and Etruscan antiquities. There are portions of this west side not yet open to the public. The staircase conducts the visitor down to an ante-room at the northern extremity of the great Egyptian gallery; from which ante-room proceeds an entrance to another smaller Egyptian room, and also doors leading to the library, not publicly open. Traversing the Egyptian Gallery,' southward, we come to a kind of large central saloon, whose arrangement is not yet settled, and whose floor and walls are covered with miscellaneous sculptures, THE SECOND VISIT.-NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION. waiting for future disposition. Westward and projecting from this range is the Phigaleian sculpture room, and beyond this the Elgin saloon, where the priceless treasures from the Parthenon are placed. All the rooms from the Egyptian saloon back to the entrance are either unfinished, or the specimens in them only partially arranged; but they are destined We have ventured to carve out for the reader such a mode of arranging his visits, that his first spare hour is to be devoted to a general glance at the whole collection, with a view to the relative bearings of one part on another, and to a slight appreciation of the intellectual feast which is prepared for him in future. |