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BOOK II,
Chap. I.
EARLY

HISTORY OF
THE BRITISH

the emotions of the Jewish broker were such as might have been felt by 'broad-browed VERULAM,' could he have lived to see that day; save only that BACON would MUSEUM. first have scanned the evidence about the origin of the institution, and would have discriminated the praise.

DA COSTA wrote a letter to the Trustees. The generous heart is facile in ascribing generosity. A most stately monument,' said DA COSTA, 'hath been lately erected and endowed, by the wisdom and munificence of the British Legislature,' and he accompanied his eulogy with a prayer that the Almighty would render unto them a recompense, according to the work of their hands.' He brought his mite of contribution, he added, not only as proof of sympathy with the work in progress, but as a thanksgiving offering, in part, for the generous protection and numberless blessings which I have enjoyed under the British 5519' [1759]. Government.'

Da Costa to the Trustees of the Brit. Museum,

5th of Sivan,

GIFT OF THE
THOMASON

OF ENGLISH

The gift embraced several Biblical Manuscripts of value, and a still choicer series of early printed books, one hundred and eighty in number. The giver has a merited place in the roll of our public benefactors; and his devout prayer for the new Museum, May it increase and multiply to the benefit of the people of these nations and of the whole earth,' has had a more conspicuous fulfilment than could, in 1759, have been imagined by the most sanguine of bystanders.

Three years afterwards, and soon after his accession to COLLECTION the throne, King GEORGE THE THIRD gave to the Nation that most curious assemblage of nearly the whole English GEORGE III. literature of two and twenty eventful years of Civil War, -open or furtive,-which is known to the Public as the

BOOKS OF

1611-1662, BY

6

Thomason Collection,' though its technical name within

the Museum walls continues, as of old, to be the King's BOOK II, Tracts.'

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That name is the less appropriate from its tendency to give an inaccurate idea of the contents of the King's gift, as well as from its disregard of the origin of the Collection. The tracts' include the most ponderous theological quartos that ever came from an English press as well as the tiniest handbill, or the fugitive circular which called together a 'Committee of Sequestrators' at Wallingford House.

Chap. I.
EARLY
HISTORY OF

THE BRITISH
MUSEUM.

THOMASON
AND HIS
LABOURS.

George THOMASON, its collector, was an eminent London GEORGE bookseller, of royalist sympathies, who watched intensely the progress of the great struggle between King and Parliament, Cavalier and Roundhead, and who had noted with professional keenness how strikingly the printing press was made to mirror, almost from day to day, the strife of senators in council, as well as that of soldiers in the field. He had seized, in 1641, the idea of helping posterity the better to realize every phase of the great conflict, the oncoming of which many men had long foreseen, by gathering everything which came out in print-as far as vigilant industry could do so-whether belonging to literature, and to the obvious materials of history, or merely subserving the most trivial need of the passing moment. He failed, of course, to secure everything; but his endeavour was wonderfully successful, on the whole. He also gathered many manuscripts which no printer in England dared to put into type. And he obtained a large number of political and historical pieces, bearing on English affairs, which had issued from foreign presses; their authors being sometimes foreign observers of the struggle, but more frequently British refugees.

CHARLES THE FIRST Congratulated THOMASON on the utility of his idea. More than once the King was able to

BOOK II,
Chap. I.
EARLY

HISTORY OF

MUSEUM.

gratify his curiosity by borrowing some tract or other which only our collector was known to possess. The Parliament, THE BRITISH meanwhile, was far from exhibiting any literary sympathies in the undertaking. Some of its leaders loved freedom of the press when it was seen to be a channel for urging forward their peculiar doctrines and aims, but had the gravest doubts about its policy when it manifestly helped their opponents and gave back blow for blow. The Thomason Collection' came to be viewed, at length, much in the light in which soldiers view an enemy's battery. If it could be captured and carried off, some of the pieces might be turned against the enemy. capture should miscarry, a sudden sally might at least enable the assailants to destroy what they had failed to

secure.

6

If the attempt at complete

Hence it was that the poor Collector came to be in such alarm about the possible fate of his treasures that he had them repeatedly packed into cases, and, as the successes of the war veered to and fro, sent them, at one time, far to the south of London; at another time, as far to the east; now, smuggled them, concealed between the real and false tops of tables, into a city warehouse; and anon made a colourable sale of them to the University of Oxford.

When the King enjoyed his own again, the Collection was offered, as fit to be made a royal one. It contained more than thirty-three thousand separate publications— bound in about 2,200 volumes-issued between 1640 and 1662 inclusive. But CHARLES THE SECOND was busied with pursuits having little to do with any kind of learning, and was ill inclined, as we have seen already, to burden his Treasury for the enrichment of his Library Sir Thomas BODLEY'S Trustees at Oxford refused the offer, in their turn, under a very different but scarcely less obstructive

Chap. I.

HISTORY OF

pressure. Their excellent founder had formed peculiar BOOK II, and stringent views about the literature worthy of a great EARLY University. He had warned them against stuffing his THE BRITISH library with mere baggage books.' And so future MUSEUM. Bodleian curators had, in another age, to buy with large bank notes many things which their predecessors could have bought with small silver coins;-just as in the ancient story.

The unfortunate Collection went a-begging. The books passed from hand to hand, somewhat, it would seem, by way of pledge or mortgage. They had cost a large sum of money, and a larger amount of toil. When his expecta

it is said, refused

THE AC

QUIREMENT

OF THE

THOMASON

tions were at their best the first owner, several thousands of pounds for them. His ultimate successors in the possession were glad, in 1762, to accept, at the hands of King GEORGE THE THIRD, three hundred pounds. The purchase was recommended to him by Thomas COLLECTION HOLLIS, and also by Lord BUTE, as a serviceable addition III. to the newly founded Museum. As all readers now know, 1762. it has largely subserved our history already. It is not less certain that the Thomason Collection' embodies a store of information yet unused.

6

BY GEORGE

BRANDER

The next augmentor of the Museum was one of its THE Trustees, Gustavus BRANDER, distinguished as a promoter FOSSILS. of natural science, and more especially of mineralogy and palæontology in the early stages of their study in England. 1766. A remarkable collection of fossils found in Hampshire, in the London Clay, was given by Mr. BRANDER to the Public, after having been, at his cost, carefully examined and described by Dr. SOLANDER. It was the first notable contribution to the grand series of specimens in palæontology which, in their combination, have made the British Muscum

BOOK II,
Chap. I.
EARLY

HISTORY OF

THE BRITISH

MUSEUM.

ACCESSIONS
ACCRUING

AGES OF

DISCOVERY. 1760-1820.

the most important of all repositories in that department of science.

To the Zoological Collections, the additions made, whether by gift or by purchase-save as the result, more or less direct, of Voyages of Discovery,' which will be noticed presently—were for many years very unimportant. The first purchase worthy of record was a collection of stuffed birds, formed in Holland, and acquired, in 1769, for four hundred and sixty pounds. This purchase was made by the Trust.

The reign of GEORGE THE THIRD is marked by very few characteristics which are more honourable, both to King and people, than is its long series of expeditions to remote countries made expressly, or mainly, for purposes of geographical and scientific discovery, and extending over almost the whole of the reign.

Scarcely one voyage of the long series failed to bring, FROM VOY directly or indirectly, some valuable accession or other to the Collection of Natural History. Sometimes such accessions came to the Museum as the gifts of the navigators and explorers themselves. In this class of donors the name of Captain James Cook, and that of Archibald MENZIES, occur both early and frequently. Sometimes they came as the gifts of the Board of Admiralty. Sometimes, again,— and not infrequently-as those of the King, who, in his best days, took a keen interest in enterprise of this kind, and delighted in talking with the captains of the discovery ships about their adventures, and about the marvels of the far-off lands they had been among the first to see. Nor did the King stand alone in his active encouragement of remote ex

* One of Cook's many individual gifts was the first Kangaroo ever brought into Europe.

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