MUSEUMS. 299 
thing in the composition of the structure which he 
has raised for their reception. But, when a com- 
mittee of gentlemen is chosen to form a museum, 
their attention to the outer parts of the building 
seems to know no bounds; whilst the ornamenting 
of the interior (which, by the way, ought to be con- 
sidered as the very marrow and essence of the 
establishment) is left to pure chance. Thus, the 
members tell the public that they will be thankful 
for private donations. They often deposit speci- 
mens of their own in the museum; and authorise 
their curator to pick up what he can, at different 
public sales. The lavish expenditure on the outside 
of the temple, and parsimony with regard to the 
internal decorations, is giving, as it were, too much 
_to the body, and too little to the soul. 
Still, the directors do not see the thing in this 
light. They go jogging on in the old beaten path ; 
and I don’t know whether it be very prudent in me 
to hint that it is high time for them both ‘to 
digress, and to mend their pace. Iam much more 
cautious now, than I used formerly to be in giving 
my opinion when I enter a museum. The burnt 
child generally dreads the fire. 
Some years ago, curiosity led me to stray into’a 
very spacious museum. As I passed through ‘a 
kind of antechamber, I observed a huge mass of out- 
stretched skin, which once had evidently been an 
elephant. I turned round to gaze at the “‘ monstrum 
horrendum informe,” when a person came up, and 
asked me what I thought of their elephant. “If,” 
said I, “ you will give me two cow-skins, with that 
