§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Wexford, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if in view of the re-arrangement of the collections of the British Museum, he will suggest to the authorities the advisability of returning to Ireland their collection of ancient Irish bells, which are of no interest 1509 to the museum, which are of no value to that institution, and of no interest to the British public, but which are of great interest to Ireland, and should be preserved in the National Museum in Dublin; and if, in the event of the British Museum trustees agreeing to the transfer, the Government will introduce the necessary legislation to carry it out.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.): I am informed that the ancient Irish bells in the British Museum are regarded by the trustees as possessing, in relation to the native art of Britain and other countries, a very decided interest for students generally. The British Museum aims at being a museum of general archæology, and, for the purposes of archaeological study in the widest sense, the trustees endeavour to make their collections as representative as possible. I should have been glad if it had been found possible to transfer the collection to Dublin, but the policy which the authorities of the Museum feel called upon to follow offers no prospect of meeting the hon. Baronet's wishes in the matter.