GROWTH OF COLLECTIONS. 107 



needful extension of room by acquiring the property immediately 

 around the old Museum, or for severing the collections and 

 removing a portion to another building, the latter course was 

 finally decided upon. At a special general meeting of the 

 Trustees, held' on the 21st of January, 1860, attended by many 

 members of the Government in their official capacity, a resolu- 

 tion, moved by the First Lord of the Treasury, was carried 

 " That it is expedient that the Natural History Collection be Eesoiution to 

 removed from the British Museum, inasmuch as such an arrange- w^f"*A* 

 ment wouldbe attended with considerably less expense than would History 

 be incurred by providing a sufficient additional space in immediate ''''^*''*i'"'- 

 contiguity to the present building of the British Museum." 



The House of Commons, in the Session of 1863, sanctioned Purdiaseofa 

 the purchase of part of the site of the International Exhibition KensSlton"' 

 of 1862 at South Kensington, with a view to appropriating it to 

 the purpose of a Museum of Natural History. 



In January, 1864, the Commissioners of Her Majesty's "Works Competitive 

 issued an advertisement for designs for a Natural History *°'^^' 

 Museum and a Patent Museum, to be erected on part of the land 

 thus acquired, a plan which had been prepared by Mr. Hunt in 

 September, 1862, from Sir Eichard Owen's suggestions, being 

 proposed as a model in respect to dimensions and internal 

 arrangement. 



The plans of the various competitors were submitted to Her Captain 

 Majesty's Commissioners of Works, who awarded prizes to three ^"'"^^'^ v^^- 

 of the number, giving precedence to that of Captain Francis 

 Fowke, E.E., and then referred the three premiated plans to the 

 Trustees of the British Museum. As the internal arrangements 

 in Captain Fowke's plan did not meet with the approval of the 

 Miiseum officers, he was desired to modify them in conformity 

 with the requirements of the Trustees. He was engaged in this 

 labour when his death occurred, in September, 1865. 



Early in the year 1866, Mr. Alfred Waterhouse was invited by Mr, Water- 

 the Chief Commissioner of Works to take up the unfinished work g^^* ^ 

 of Captain Fowke ; but he found himseK unable to complete the 

 plan to his own satisfaction, and in February, 1868, he was 

 commissioned to form a fresh design, embodying the require- 

 ments of the officers of the Natural History Departments of the 

 Museum. 



