§ MR. W. EWARTsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether any progress had been made in carrying into effect the suggestion made during the last Session of Parliament, that there should be affixed or appended to the paintings, statues, and other works of art, to specimens or illustration of science, antiquities, public monuments, and historical memorials in our public institutions, explanatory inscriptions, giving a brief account of the subject, date, history, and author of the work, so as to afford some general instruction to the public, and spare them the expense of purchasing a catalogue.
§ VISCOUNT PALMERSTONsaid, that the arrangement which his hon. Friend had so usefully suggested last year, had since been almost entirely carried out in the National Gallery. He did not think it had been quite carried out yet, for some care and trouble were required in perfecting the arrangement; but it was very nearly completed. A similar arrangement had, he believed, been established in the British Museum with respect to almost all the collections in that institution. He was not quite sure whether the same arrangement prevailed at Hampton Court, but he would make inquiry, and he felt no doubt that if it did not it would soon be established there, for so good a plan could not be adopted too soon.
§ MR. W. EWARTsaid, he would ask the right hon. President of the Board of Works whether means would be adopted for giving the public the accommodation of a greater number of seats round the trees in different parts of Kensington Gardens, as well as in the Park?
§ SIR BENJAMIN HALLsaid, he admitted the insufficiency of the number of seats. He had made provision for that state of things, but it depended on the House to grant the necessary funds for carrying out that provision.