HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 
9 
successor, the present classical building, completed in 1845 
from the designs of Sir Kobert Smirke. The erection of the 
magnificent reading-room in 1857 disposed for a time of the 
difficulty of finding accommodation for the ever-growing library ; 
but the keepers of other departments continued urgent in their Growth of 
demands for more space, and after much discussion of rival necessitating 
plans for keeping the collections together and obtaining the additional 
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- Resolution to 
tion moved by the First Lord of the Treasury was carried Natural 
" That it is expedient that the Natural History Collection be History 
removed from the British Museum, inasmuch as such an arrange- ^o^®^^^^^- 
ment would be attended with considerably less expense than 
would be incurred by providing a sufficient additional space in 
immediate contiguity to the present building of the British 
Museum." 
'No immediate action was taken on this resolution. In order 
to obtain fuller assurance of the best methods of proceeding, a 
Select Committee of the House of Commons was appointed in the Select Com- 
Session of the same year, 1860, with instructions to enquire how House of 
far, and in what way, it might be desirable to find increased space Commons, 
for the Museum collections. Their report, which was adverse to 
the decision of the general meeting of the Trustees of the 21st 
of January, stated " that sufficient reason has not been assigned 
for the removal of any part of the valuable collections now in 
the Museum, except that of Ethnography and the portraits and 
drawings," and suggested the purchase of the land and houses 
in the immediate vicinity of the old Museum as the best site 
for future extension. 
The Trustees had no other course than to refer to the Govern- Government 
ment the final determination of the question ; and in November, 
1861, they received intimation from the Lords of the Treasury 
that they were prepared to take steps for removing a portion of 
the National Collection to South Kensington, and the Trustees 
were asked to give further advice in respect to this proposal. 
