National Casting Establishments. 35 



which the public have been tardily admitted, the doors are for 

 the most part open only for a portion of the week. The asser- 

 tion that the promiscuous admission of all classes would lead 

 to the destruction of the objects exhibited has been trium- 

 phantly refuted by a happy experience, — witness the conduct 

 of those who visit the British Museum, and, since the fine gal- 

 lery belonging to the Board of Trustees in Edinburgh has been 

 opened, hundreds of every class have visited it ; yet, so careful 

 are the visitors of all ranks, that no injury has been inflicted, 

 and not even an accident has occurred. 



The want of proper models has long been felt in England, 

 and often complained of. About the year 1770, his Grace the 

 Duke of Richmond opened a small collection of casts to artists, 

 who eagerly availed themselves of such an opportunity of study. 

 The collection of sculptures in the British Museum has been a 

 prodigious benefit to art, but this benefit is almost entirely con- 

 fined to London ; few students from the provinces can afford 

 to visit the metropolis, and, as a means of generally diffusing 

 taste throughout the country, museums in London are of little 

 avail. Provincial galleries must be opened ; meritorious efforts 

 are making in this way, but the difficulty of procuring casts 

 sadly impedes these efforts. 



Dr Waagen, in his evidence before the late committee, says,. 

 " The best way of forming the taste of the people is by the es- 

 tablishment of accessible collections of the most remarkable 

 monuments of antiquity and of the middle ages. In the capi- 

 tal of the country there should be the chief collection, but it is 

 injurious when all is centralized and confined within the capi- 

 tal ; it is also useful, as is partly the case in France, and it is 

 intended to be so in Prussia, to establish subordinate collections 

 in/he principal towns in the country. The principles upon 

 which such collections should be formed are the following ; — 

 the monuments of the best periods, both of ancient and modern 

 art, which are too extensive and too costly to be possessed by 

 private amateurs, should more especially be placed in a public 

 collection. Collections can only propagate taste and art in a 

 nation, when every man can daily and, hourly find free access 

 to the collections of art." Many witnesses before the late com- 



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