A letter to Benjamin Hawes, Esq., M.P., being strictures on the minutes of evidence taken before the Select Committee on the British Museum; with an appendix, containing heads of inquiry respecting the improvement of the Museum / [Edward Edwards].

  • Edward Edwards
Date:
1836
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter to Benjamin Hawes, Esq., M.P., being strictures on the minutes of evidence taken before the Select Committee on the British Museum; with an appendix, containing heads of inquiry respecting the improvement of the Museum / [Edward Edwards]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    mit that some such regulations as the following are urgently required :— 1st. That they shall open at 8 o’clock, a. m. and close at 6, p. m. daily, during the months of April to August, both in¬ clusive ; open at 9, A. m. and close at 5, p. m. during the months of February and March, September and October; and for the remainder of the year open at 9, a. m. and close (as at present) at 4 p. m. 2d. That an additional reading-room should be constructed, fire-proof, separate from, but immediately contiguous to the pre¬ sent room ; to be properly lighted, warmed, and attended from 6 until 11 o’clock, p. m., daily throughout the year ; during which hours readers shall be furnished with such books as they may have previously requested by notice in writing to the proper officer [before-o’clock] in the morning of each day respectively. II.—Of the Supply of Books. This is a point to which the attention of the Committee has not yet been turned, the keeper of the printed book depart¬ ment not having been examined. The only mention I find of it in the “ Minutes of Evidence” is at page 180, incidental to the examination respecting the classed catalogues. My remarks and suggestions on this subject will relate—1st, to the state of the library in respect of recent continental lite¬ rature ; 2dly, to the provisions of the statute 54 Geo. Ill, c. 156, for supplying the Museum with new British literature as pub¬ lished ; and, 3dly,to the disposition of duplicate books. 1. Of Recent Continental Literature.—Some idea of the ex¬ ceedingly defective state of the library in this department may be formed from the following statements : they are selected at random, merely as indications, and are founded on an examina¬ tion of the Catalogues in October last. It would be easy to multiply the examples :— In German literature ; of the works of Jean von Muller— C. T. E. Hoffmann—Laun—Heine—Gellert—J. H. Voss— J. V. Voss—C. D. Voss—J. Voss, none; of Goethe, none of later date than 1819 (save the Correspondence with ZelterJ;
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