§ MR. GEORGE HOWARDasked the Right honourable the Member for the University of Cambridge, Whether a complete collection of the original drawings for H. B.'s Caricatures has been offered to the Trustees of the British Museum for a sum probably much less than the amount which would be realised by the sale of the collection if it were broken up; and, whether, considering the great historical interest of this series, the Trustees will be in a position to accept this offer?
§ MR. WALPOLE, in reply, said, an offer had been made to the Trustees of the British Museum of the original drawings for H. B.'s Caricatures for a sum probably not much less than the amount which would be realized by the sale of the collection if it were broken up; and the Trustees had determined to sanction the purchase, and had applied to the Treasury for a special grant to effect it. He was informed that the Treasury had replied that they were willing to sanction the purchase, provided that the amount was met by other savings, so that the Estimates for 1882–3 548 were not increased. Of course, the hon. Member would see that it would be premature for him to state whether such a saving could be affected or not. The sum asked for was£2,000.