27 



Contiguous to the Museum there are the houses 

 and gardens on the east side of Bedford Square, 

 on the south side of Montague Place, and on the 

 west side of Montague Street ^ which might be 

 built upon for the purpose of enlarging the Mu- 

 seum building. The Trustees submitted many 

 years ago, the purchase of ground contiguous to 

 the Museum, and the amount of the requisite out- 

 lay, to the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's 

 Treasury ; and in the letter of Mr. Forshall to 

 their Lordships, dated the 20th of March, 1848, 

 the following words occur : — " It is not within 

 ** the province of the Trustees to determine on 



the policy of incurring the expenditure which 



would be required." That letter was laid 

 before Parliament, together with the one of Mr. 

 Smirke, above quoted, dated the 14th of Feb- 

 ruary, 1852. 



In a letter recently addressed to the Principal 

 Librarian, and dated the 9th November, 1857, Mr. 

 Smirke suggests the purchase of sixteen houses 

 on the south side of Montague Place ; and there 

 is no doubt that that would be the most desirable 

 site to build upon of all the sites contiguous to 

 the Museum. Mr. Smirke estimates the expense 

 at £170,000, for the whole site and building, as 

 will appear from his letter, which is as fol- 

 lows : — 



Feeling very averse to the idea of dismem- 

 *'bering the Museum, and believing that, so far 



