216 BRITISH MUSEUM. 



mons, appointed to enquire into the affairs of the Museum, as printed in the 

 Votes of the 14th instant, were read to the following effect : 



1. " Resolved That the great accessions which have been made of late to 

 the Collections of the British Museum, and the increasing interest taken in 

 them by the public, render it expedient to revise the establishment of the 

 institution, with a view to place it upon a scale more commensurate with, and 

 better adapted to, the present state and future prospects of the Museum." 



Every intelligent person at all acquainted with the Museum either 

 those who resort thither for research and other scientific purposes, or 

 those who visit the place from mere curiosity and for amusement must 

 agree with us that nothing less than a complete revision, or rather 

 purification, of the Establishment, will make it available as a place of 

 national education. 



2. " Resolved That this Committee do not recommend any interference 

 with the family trustees, who hold their offices under acts of parliament, 

 being of the nature of national compacts." 



The office of a trustee is to watch over the property committed to 

 him, and to see that it is not injured by those who are privileged to use 

 it. Trustees are not managers, and certainly not managers to the 

 exclusion of the scientific men officially connected with the place. The 

 head-officers of each department ought to have seats at the council- 

 board and act with the trustees. The officers are men of rank and con- 

 sideration sufficient to entitle them to this privilege. 



"3. Resolved That though the number of official trustees may appear 

 unnecessarily large, and though practically most of them rarely, if ever, attend, 

 yet no inconvenience has been alleged to have risen from the number ; and 

 the committee are aware that there may be some advantage in retaining in 

 the hands of government a certain influence over the affairs of the Museum, 

 which may be exercised on special occasions ; yet, if any act of the legislature 

 should ultimately be found necessary, a reduction in the number of this class 

 of trustees might not be unadvisable." 



4. " Resolved That, with regard to the existing elected trustees, the com- 

 mittee think it very desirable that the trustees should take steps to ascertain 

 whether some of those whose attendance has been the most infrequent, might 

 not be willing to resign their trusteeships, that in future it be understood 

 that any trustee hereafter to be elected, not giving personal attendance at the 

 Museum, for a period to be fixed, is expected to resign his trusteeship, being 

 however re-eligible upon any future vacancy. (!!!) 



5. " Resolved That in filling up vacancies it would be desirable that the 

 electing trustees should not in future lose sight of the fact that an opportunity 

 is thus afforded them of occasionally conferring a mark of distinction upon 

 men of eminence in literature, science, and art." 



Nothing can be more ridiculous than the temporising tone of these 

 resolutions. We know not at whose suggestion they have been drawn 

 up ; but we are fully assured that no recommendations of the legislature 

 will have the effect of reforming the constitution of the Museum. 

 Nothing less than an act of the legislature'' will accomplish the desired 



