Museums, Galleries, Libraries.—The Brit ish Museum (q.v.), founded in 1753, in Great Russell street, is a spacious and imposing edi fice, with a classical façade and sculpture in the pediment, built between 1823 and 1857. It contains an immense collection of books, manu scripts, engravings, drawings, sculptures, coins, minerals, stuffed animals, fossils, preserved plants, etc., and a magnificent collection of ethnographical objects, ? Egyptian Assyrian, .
Etruscan, Greek and other antiquities. An ex tensive building (about 650 feet long) has been erected in the South Kensington quarter for the accommodation of the natural history collec tions. The museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, on the south side of Lincoln's Inn Fields, a rather handsome building, contains a magnificent collection of human skulls from all parts of the world, and many curious surgical preparations. The Soane Museum, on the north side of Lincoln's Inn Fields, possesses many valuable objects, consisting of books, paint ings, prints, manuscripts, drawings, maps, models, plans, etc. The Dulwich College Gal lery contains many interesting pictures left by Alleyne, a contemporary actor of Shakespeare's age.. The great South Kensington or Victoria and Albert Museum contains most valuable collections, carefully arranged for purposes of instruction, in connection with which are the schools and headquarters of the Department of Science and Art. The London Museum has, since 1914, through the munificence of Sir William Lever, been accommodated at Lancaster (formerly called Stafford) House, which he bought and presented to the nation. Museums have also been established at Bethnal Green and in South and North London, and Hertford House, acquired in 1900, with its priceless art treasures, the gift of Sir Richard Wallace, and the Horniman Museum at Forest Hill, the gift of the late Mr. F. J. Horniman, have been added to the London museums. The chief picture gallery in London is the National Gal lery, on the north side of Trafalgar square. It contains upwards of 1,600 paintings, acquired partly from donations, partly by purchase. The National Portrait Gallery is a collection of over 1,600 portraits, busts and medallions, brought together since 1858. For this collec tion a new building beside the National Gallery has been provided by private munificence; and the Tate Gallery of British Art, on the Thames Embankment, has been similarly acquired. The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences, a memorial to the prince consort, is a huge building between the Horticultural Gardens and Kensington road. It was erected for the pur poses of science and art, musical performances, exhibitions, etc. It is chiefly used for concerts
and is capable of accommodating an audience of 8,000, while the orchestra itself accommo dates 1,000 performers. The building also con tains a picture gallery. In Hyde Park, im mediately opposite this building, is the Albert Memorial. The north wing of Burlington House, Piccadilly, has been granted to the Royal Academy and a suite of rooms built in the rear of it for exhibitions. The east and west wings of Burlington House are occupied by various learned societies, the Royal Society, the Society of Antiquaries and others. Near the South Kensington Museum and the Albert Hall is the splendid block of buildings of the Imperial Institute, with its various permanent collections and exhibitions and institutions. Besides the British Museum Library the chief libraries are Lambeth Palace Library, the Guild hall Library, Sion College Library, the London Library (subscription), London Institute Li brary, and in addition large circulating libraries and many free public libraries supported by rates.
Educational At the head of these stands the London University (q.v.) which promises to become the foremost scien tific university in the kingdom. Other institu tions are denominational colleges for theology (in some combined with general education), the Royal Naval College, Greenwich; the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; the Royal Col lege of Science; the medical schools attached to the hospitals; Royal Academy of Music; Royal College of Music; Trinity College, chiefly for music; several colleges for ladies, etc. Among the grammar and secondary schools are Saint Paul s School, founded in 1509, which provides a free education for 153 boys, with scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge; the Merchant Tay lor; Westminster School, founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1560; University College School, King's College School, City of London School, Mercers' School and schools of the several other city companies. Besides the above and numberless private schools, there are the city and guild institutions for technical education, many high schools for girls, many free schools, numerous schools of the National Society, and the numerous schools of the London county council. Several polytechnics and centres of technical education have been equipped and sup ported by the London county council, who have also established a system of county scholarships for students. The county council expends an nually about $25,000,000 on elementary and $5,000,000 on higher education. Of this sum about $10,000,000 is furnished by the govern ment, the remainder being raised through a special tax levied by the council.