§ MR. W. LOWTHERsaid, he would beg to ask the hon. Member for the University of Cambridge, Why the collection of works of art, &c, in the British Museum, known as "The Temple Collection," no longer exists under that name, and whether some means could not be taken for keeping that collection together, or having the separate objects marked as having belonged to the late Sir William Temple?
MR. WALPOLEsaid, he would endeavour to explain the facts of the case with reference to "The Temple Collection," and he believed the hon. Gentleman would find that the Trustees of the British Museum had done everything to satisfy him and the public. ''The Temple Collection" was left to the Museum some years ago, and for some time the collection was kept together as a whole, that it might be seen at one time; but since then other works of art of a similar nature had been given to the Museum or purchased by them, and it was then thought better to intermix them, so that objects of a similar character might be seen together. A descriptive catalogue of the collection had been, however, ordered to be made, and all the articles, or at least the more material of them, would have labels which would show every article that had come from "The Temple Collection."