Chap. III. applied exclusively to the Department of Zoology; and that BOOK III, a sufficient portion of ground should be purchased on the north side of the Museum as a site for galleries to provide for Mineralogy, and thus also indirectly for Geology. HISTORY OF THE UNDER SIR PRINTS AND A convenient site for this department would, in the opinion of the Committee, be provided by the suggested DRAWINGS. acquisition of additional ground on the north side. A building might there be erected in continuation of the present east wing of the Museum, to contain, on its upper floor, the Mineralogical Collections, and on the lower the Prints and Drawings, with adequate space both for their preservation and exhibition. TIES. In determining the site most suitable for the large addi- ANTIQUItional accommodation required for this department, the Committee thought it most prudent that the Trustees of the Museum should be guided, partly by the greater or less cost of purchasing the requisite amount of ground in different directions, but chiefly by the greater or less fitness of the different portions of ground for the best system of arrangement. REORGANI SUB DIVISION OF MENTS. In the same year in which Mr. PANIZZI became PrincipalLibrarian (1856), one of the recommendations of Lord ECONOMY:ELLESMERE'S Commission-Report of 1850 was carried ZATION AND into effect by the creation of the new office of 'Superintendent of the Natural-History Departments.' And the former partial subdivision and reorganization of those 1856-66. departments was, in the following year, carried further by the formation of a separate Department of Mineralogy. In subsequent years, the old Department of Antiquities was, like the Natural History, divided into four departments, namely, (1) Greek and Roman Antiquities; (2) Oriental Antiquities; (3) British and Mediæval Antiquities and Ethnography; (4) Coins and Medals. BOOK III, OF THE UNDER SIR A. PANIZZI. NATURAL TIONS. should throughout be adapted, by its position, extent, and facilities of application, to the arrangement of the collections on a comprehensive, and, therefore, probably permanent system. They will now proceed to point out several sites, either on or adjoining the present ground of the Museum, which seem to them to present the greatest advantages for the accommodation of the respective departments.' Although, the Committee proceed to say, the amount of space which, on the foregoing estimate, would be requisite for the Natural-History Collections is not so great as to involve the necessity of their removal from the British Museum on that ground alone, your Committee, nevertheless, attach so much weight to the arguments in favour of preserving the various departments of the Museum from the risk of collision with each other, that, should it be determined to provide new space for Natural History in connexion with the Museum, they would make it a primary object to isolate its collections, as far as possible, from all others in the same locality. The chief part of the Natural-History Collections is now on the upper floor, where they occupy, according to the return of Mr. SMIRKE, in November, 1857, forty-eight thousand four hundred and forty-two superficial feet. The remainder of that floor, containing, exclusively of a small space not reckoned by Mr. SMIRKE, twenty-one thousand five hundred and thirty-two feet, is occupied by Antiquities. It appears to your Committee that if, by any adaptation of ground to be acquired adjoining the Museum, adequate space should be provided elsewhere for the Antiquities now on the upper floor, the most expedient arrange. ment would be to appropriate the whole of that floor to the Natural-History Collections. If this space proved insuf ficient for all such collections, your Committee would ther recommend that the newly acquired portion should be Chap. III. applied exclusively to the Department of Zoology; and that BOOK III, a sufficient portion of ground should be purchased on the HISTORY north side of the Museum as a site for galleries to provide MUSEUM for Mineralogy, and thus also indirectly for Geology. OF THE UNDER SIR PRINTS AND A convenient site for this department would, in the opinion of the Committee, be provided by the suggested DRAWINGS. acquisition of additional ground on the north side. A building might there be erected in continuation of the present east wing of the Museum, to contain, on its upper floor, the Mineralogical Collections, and on the lower the Prints and Drawings, with adequate space both for their preservation and exhibition. TIES. In determining the site most suitable for the large addi- ANTIQUItional accommodation required for this department, the Committee thought it most prudent that the Trustees of the Museum should be guided, partly by the greater or less cost of purchasing the requisite amount of ground in different directions, but chiefly by the greater or less fitness of the different portions of ground for the best system of arrangement. REORGANI SUB DIVISION OF MENTS. In the same year in which Mr. PANIZZI became Principal- INTERNAL Librarian (1856), one of the recommendations of Lord ECONOMY:-ELLESMERE'S Commission-Report of 1850 was carried ZATION AND into effect by the creation of the new office of 'Superintendent of the Natural-History Departments.' And the former partial subdivision and reorganization of those 1856-66. departments was, in the following year, carried further by the formation of a separate Department of Mineralogy. In subsequent years, the old Department of Antiquities was, like the Natural History, divided into four departments, namely, (1) Greek and Roman Antiquities; (2) Oriental Antiquities; (3) British and Medieval Antiquities and Ethnography; (4) Coins and Medals. BOOK III, OF THE A. PANIZZI. STATISTICS At present (1870), it may here be added, the entire Museum is divided into twelve departments, comprising three several groups of four sections to each. The NaturalHistory group being comprised of (1) Zoology; (2) Palæontology; (3) Botany; (4) Mineralogy. The Literary group comprising (1) Printed Books; (2) Manuscripts; (3) Prints and Drawings; (4) Maps, Charts, Plans, and Topographical Drawings. Experience has amply vindicated the wisdom of the principle of subdivision. But it is probable that the principle has now been carried as far as it can usefully work in practice. Increased efficiency and rapidly growing collections brought with them enlarged grants from Parliament. In the first year of Sir A, PANIZZI's Principal-Librarianship, the estimate put before the House of Commons for the service of the year 1856-7 was sixty thousand pounds, as compared with a grant for the service of the year immediately preceding of fifty-six thousand one hundred and eighty pounds. In his last year of office, the estimate for the service of the year 1866-67 amounted to one hundred and two thousand seven hundred and forty-four pounds, against a grant in the year preceding of ninety-eight thousand one hundred and sixty-four pounds. There had also been, in that decade, a marked degree of increase though one of much fluctuation—in the number of visits, both to the General Collections and, much more notably, to the Reading-Rooms and the Galleries for Study. In 1856, the number of general visitors was three hundred and sixty-one thousand seven hundred and fourteen; in 1866, it was four hundred and eight thousand two hundred and seventy-nine. But in the Exhibition Year' (1862), it had reached eight hundred and ninety-five thousand and seventy-seven, which was itself little more than one-third Chap. III. of the exceptionally enormous number of visitors recorded* Book III, in the year of the first of the great Industrial Exhibitions HISTORY (1851). It was during Sir A. PANIZZI's decade that the largest number of visitors ever recorded to have entered the Museum within one day was registered. This exceptional number occurred on the 'Boxing Day' of the Londoners, 26th December, 1858, when more than forty-two thousand visitors were admitted. Under the old system there had been a dread of holiday crowds, and the largest number ever admitted on any one day, prior to 1837, was between five thousand eight hundred and five thousand nine hundred. That number had been looked upon as a marvel. On the Easter Monday of 1837, twenty-three thousand nine hundred and eighty-five were admitted. Neither then nor on the 1858 Boxing Day' was any injury or disorderly conduct complained of. 6 The highest number of visits for study made to the Reading-Room, prior to 1857, occurred in 1850, when the number was seventy-eight thousand five hundred and thirtythree. The number in the year 1865 was one hundred thousand two hundred and seventy-one, but in the interval it had risen (1861) to one hundred and thirty thousand four hundred and ten. For several years, between 1856 and 1866, the average number of visits for study to the Galleries of Antiquities averaged about one thousand nine hundred annually; those to the Print Room, about two thousand eight hundred; those to the Coin and Medal Room, about one thousand nine hundred. * Namely, two millions five hundred and twenty-seven thousand two hundred and sixteen visits, which included seventy-eight thousand two hundred and eleven visits to the Reading-Room for study. OF THE UNDER SIR |