BRITISH MUSEUM. This valuable es tablishment so instructively illustrates Art— fine art in respect to its best specimens, and industrial art in respect to its minerals, &c., that we must not pass it over without a few words of notice. The establishment of a na tional Museum was suggested by the will of Sir Hans Sloane, who, dining a long period of eminent practice in physic, had accumulated, in addition to a numerous library of books and MSS., e large collection of objects of natural history and works of art ; these he directed should be offered after his death, which took place in 1753, to the British Parliament for the sum of 20,0001., the collection having cost him 50,0001. From that period to the present, valuable donations of books, manuscripts, sculptures, bronzes, coins, prints, minerals, &c., have been made ; and Parliament has appropriated largo annual sums to the same object. Hence has gradually accumulated the 'present most valuable collection.
The buildings forming the New British Mu seum are arranged in a hollow square, facing the cardinal points of the compass., The southern or Russell-street front is the princi pal one, and presents to view a columnar fa çade of the Ionic order. At the extreme west end is a detached building, and another one at the east end ; these are dwelling-houses and offices for the librarians and chief officers of the establishment.
There are two stories of galleries and rooms round the greater part of the building, to some of which the general public are not ad mitted. All the ground-floor between the portico-entrance and the south-east angle is occupied as a depository for manuscripts, and as apartments for receiving, sorting, and read ing manuscripts. The ground-floor of the greater part of the east side is occupied by the King's Library, a magnificent apartment, 800 feet long. The entire ground-floor of the north side is closed from general visitors, being devoted to literature and study ; there are two large reading-rooms, together about 120 feet in length, and a library for books, ex tending 200 feet. At the north-west angle of the building, and in one or two other parts, are collections which are not thrown open to the public generally ; such as the prints, the botanical collection, the coins, and the gems.
The door in the centre of the portico gives entrance to the new hall or vestibule. This is a fine large apartment, worthy of the build ing to which it gives access. On the right are the two statues of Sir Joseph Banks and Shakspere, on each side of the door leading to the manuscript department ; and on the left is the statue of the Hon. Mrs. Darner, the lady sculptor, who left the attractions and fas cinations of gay life for the mallet and chisel. In front is a glazed door opening to the cen tral quadrangle, the buildings on three sides of which can be well seen from this point ; and at present, until other arrangements are completed, the extraordinary Lion and Bull brought by Mr. Layard from Nineveh are placed near this door. The hall is lofty, and the ceiling is richly painted in encaustic co lonrs, formed into square compartments of divers tints. Ou the left, close to the front wall of the building, is a passage leading to the various sculpture galleries ; and north ward of this is the grand staircase, a noble feature of the building. The ascent of nearly
seventy stone stairs, half of them westward and then the other half eastward, the elegant balustrade, and the encaustic work of the ceil. ing, come with freshness and welcome upon the eyes of those who for many years have been accustomed to the dingy entrances to the Museum.
Arrived at the top of the stairs, a range of rooms extends eastward along the building. By the side of the upper part of the staircase, over the passage leading to the sculptures, is an antiquarian or ethnographical room, in which the dresses and ornaments, the industry and implements, of all nations, are illustrated in a highly interesting manner. The room at the head of the stairs, and immediately over the entrance-hall, is devoted to zoology. Be yond this room, towards the east, are two others, devoted like it to zoological specimens. The Mammalia Saloon forms the upper story of the south-east angle of the Museum ; and from thence proceed a magnificent suite of rooms, called the Eastern Zoological Gallery, extending along the whole eastern side of the building from south to north, and filled with specimens illustrating the natural history of animals. Arrived at the north-east angle of the building, we find a double range of galle ries almost as beautiful as the former : they are side by side, and occupy the upper floor of the whole northern side of the Museum, from end to end. One of these ranges is the Northern Zoological Gallery, and the other the Mineralogical Gallery.
At the north-west angle is a staircase lead ing down to the lower story ; but turning to the left, a range of rooms leading along the west side of the building is devoted to the re ception of Egyptian and Etruscan antiquities. There are portions of this west side lately opened to visitors, but not yet filled with spe cimens : they lead to the western entrance of the Ethnographical Room ; so that the entire circuit of the building may now be made. The staircase conducts the visitor down to an ante room at the northern extremity of the great Egyptian gallery ; from which ante-room pro ceeds an entrance to another smaller Egyp tian room, and also doors leading to the li brary not open to the public. Traversing the Egyptian Gallery southward, we come to a kind of large central saloon ; westward, and projecting from this range, is the Phigaleian sculpture-room ; and beyond this the Elgin Saloon, where the valuable sculptures from the Parthenon are placed.
All the rooms from the Egyptian Saloon back to the entrance are of recent construction, and many of them are not yet occupied : they will contain the Townley, the Xanthian, the Nineveh, and other collections of sculptures.
Such is a sketch of the important building which is silently and healthfully educating thousands of persons ; for every visit is an educational lesson, in some form or other. Of the 1,062,218 visits made to the British Mu seum in 1849 ; of the 19,000 visits made on the 'boxing-day' of 1850 ; it may safely be said that theywere visits in a proper direction, having a germ of good in them.