§ Mr. Humemoved the second reading of Sir John Soane's Museum Bill. He observed, that Sir John Soane had been engaged for thirty years in collecting books, manuscripts, and antiquities, at a great expense, and had arranged them in the most complete order; so that, at once, reference could be made for the attainment of any particular information. Having derived everything from science himself, Sir John Soane was willing to communicate the advantages of his researches, and the benefit, of his labours to the public. He wished that the Museum he had formed should be useful to others; and for that purpose he now asked the House to pass this Bill, which was to invest certain trustees with the management of the Museum, for the public benefit, and to enable himself to complete his purpose of investing 30,000l. in the three-per-cent Consols, the interest of which (900l.) together with a sum of 200l. a-year, arising from the rent of certain houses, he intended should be appropriated to the maintenance of the Museum for ever. It was unnecessary for him to eulogise the character of Sir John Soane, who was known to be a firm and disinterested friend to science. He was the person who prevented Belzoni's celebrated Sarcophagus from going abroad; for when every one else withdrew from it, he purchased it at an expense of 2,000l. for his own country. So anxious had he been to make his Museum really valuable, that for one manuscript alone he had given 500l. Any hon. Member who chose to visit the Museum, might satisfy himself of the excellence of the collection. He had great pleasure in moving the second reading of the Bill.
§ Sir Robert Inglisexpressed his satisfaction that the House had received this Bill in such a very favourable manner, and praised the disinterested course adopted by Sir John Soane. There had been instances in which such valuable collections were made a matter of bargain and sale, and yet professedly for the benefit of the country. This, however, was a very different case; for though Sir 668 John might have made his Museum available for purposes of this kind, he had freely presented it without recompence, for the sake of advancing our national science. There was a recent instance of a like kind in the case of Mr. Payne Knight, who had bequeathed to the British Museum after his death, a collection worth 60,000l. The public knew hardly anything of that instance of munificence, yet it deserved a formal and honourable notice. For the same purpose he wished that some hon. Member would move that the Directors of the National Gallery should be directed to make annual communications to Parliament, which he thought would have the effect of inducing many persons to contribute to the public collections, and would more duly honour those who had already made those contributions. He wished that the House would adopt some particular way of expressing its sense of such public benefits.
The Bill read a second time, and ordered to be committed.