1810.). Defects in the Management of the British Mfuseum. 937. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
HAT strangers are struck with beau- 
ties and defects in a town, to which 
the inhabitants are insensible, is an old 
remark, and founded on the very nature of 
things. We cannotexpect that the case- 
hardened cuticle of the feet of a resident 
in Birmingham or Liverpool, should feel 
any torment from the unflagged foot- 
pavenicnts of those towns; while it is 
equally certain that this defect is very 
uncomfortably felt by the tender-skinned 
feet accustomed to the foot-ways of 
Leeds or London: and a cockney would 
doubtless laugh atthe retired inhabitant 
of a Scotch village, who should expatiate 
on the miseries he endured from the 
thronged streets and eternal bustle of 
the metropolis, which to him are a source 
of pleasure. 
One of the great objects of my atten- 
tion in any piace to which I am a stran- 
ger, Is the management of its police; un- 
derstandiog this term as applicable to ajl 
#rrangements for the safety and comfort 
of the inhahitants; and in this view, in 
the course of a late two months’ derusti- 
cation in your great city, I have been 
struck in my perambulations through its 
' streets, with {defects and desiderata of 
different kinds, to which, as far as I could 
judge, many of those who saw them daily, 
‘are quite insensible; and which, there- 
fore, it may not be useless to have point- 
ed out bv a stranger. ; 
I shall, with your leave, therefore 
transmit to your widely-circulated miscele 
Jany, a letter or two on this subject. 
The' present I shall restrict to the consi- 
deration of one great establishment—the 
British Museum. 
This large collection I viewed several 
years ago, but with feelings rather of dis- 
gust than pleasure. I lostthe greater part 
of two or three days in getting admission 
with the required party, and then -was 
hurried through the rooms in a way that 
only vexed me, by demonstrating the im- 
possibility’ of gaining any information 
from such a cursory view; and I had not 
another two days to waste in repeating 
my visit. During my recent abode in 
town, however, the fame of the new suite 
of rooms for the reception of the Eyyp- 
tian sculpture, and of the new regula- 
tions, which I was told had removed all 
the inconvenience formerly complained of, 
tempted me once more to visit the Mu- 
seum. I was accompanied by a friend ; 
and having previously fixed the day, we 
walked three miles through a heavy rain, 
reaching Russel-street by eleyen o’clock. 
On asking for admission at the Museum, 
we were told that parties of fifteen or 
sixteen, who had previously written down 
their names, were admitted every lhialf- 
hour; that the lists were full for eleven, 
twelve, and half-past twelve; but that we 
might put down our signatures for one, 
This, as it seemed unlikely we should 
gain admission without the sacrifice of 
an hour or two, we did. Qur next con- 
sideration was how to beguile the tedious 
interval, There were no sights to be 
seen in the immediate neighbourhood ; 
and to sitin the hbrary in mute contems 
plation of the parties that were to pre 
cede us, had nothing very attractive: we 
had no alternative therefore but to 
saunter up one street and down another, 
in the midst of a heavy rain, until the 
appointed hour, We were admitted at 
one, without delay, and accompanied by 
a guide: we entered the first room of 
the suite, containing the curiosities 
brought from various barbarous (as we 
are wont tc call them) regions. On these 
I had no wish to dwell; I had seen similar 
collections frequently; and after taking 
a hasty glance, [ was passing onto the se- 
cond room, but was stopped by our con- 
ductor, who told me that twenty minutes 
were allotted to each room, and that it 
was not permitted to leave the party. I 
was of course obedient, and occupied the 
remaining time in listening very particularly 
to the loud comments of one of the com- 
pany, a plain decent-looking man, who, 
having picked up one of the printed 
pastcboards describing the cases, read it 
over for the edification of his wife and 
children. After passing through another 
room or two, we came Into that in which 
the minerals are placed. Here, thought 
I, [shall be gratified. I had been study- 
ing mineralogy theoretically, and I longed 
to see a named collection of objects, 
that I might have some correct idea of 
the granite, feldspar, &c. &c. about 
which I had been reading. Accordingly 
I hastened to case No. 1, and with the 
aid of the names attached to a few of 
the specimens, I was gaining some ac- 
cession of knowledge. .I had not, Kow- 
ever, looked over this case before our 
conductor approached me, told me that 
the time allowed for viewing that room 
was gone, and that I must accompany 
the groupe ; which, on looking up, I per- 
ceived had already passed to the next. 
It was in vain to expostulate. The con- 
ductor was a very civil man, and was 
merely conforming to his orders, But mor- 
| tified 
