the name applied to that matchless collection of ancient sculpture which was acquired by the British Museum from Lord Elgin. They are mostly basso-relievos and fragments of statuary which had adorned the Parthenon at Athens. The history of this collection may be thus shortly stated. It was in 1799 that the idea of such a collection first occurred to Lord Elgin, when he was appointed ambassador at Constantinople. Mr Harrison, an architect, suggested to him in the course of conversation, that though the public possessed everything requisite to give them a general knowledge of the remains of Athens, yet to artists nothing but the actual representation by cast could be of essential service. Lord Elgin accordingly entered into communication with government on the subject; but the important transactions in which the nation was then engaged prevented the government from embarking in the undertaking. When Lord Elgin met Sir William Hamilton in Sicily, he entered with him into a more minute examination of the feasibility of the scheme; and it appeared to them most advisable that his lordship should be accompanied by artists from Italy. He accordingly obtained permission from the king of the Two Sicilies to take with him Signor Lusieri, a painter of great reputation, then in the service of that monarch; and from Rome he obtained two architects, two modellers, and a figure-painter. In the summer of 1800 these persons reached Athens. At this period the French were in possession of Egypt, and the Turks felt little inclined to afford any facilities towards furthering the object which Lord Elgin had in view. They in fact did everything to thwart him; and his artists could only obtain admission to the Acropolis, for the purpose of taking drawings, on the payment of a large daily fee. When, however, our arms proved victorious in Egypt, a favourable change took place. The Sublime Porte showed an inclination to grant whatever our nation might think proper to ask; and Lord Elgin, availing himself of this opportunity, obtained, in the summer of 1801, firman or warrants to the chief authorities of Athens, in which it was stated "that he might view, draw, and model the ancient temples of the idols, and the sculptures upon them, and make excavations, and take away any stones that might appear interesting to him." There was little difficulty after this permission had been granted; and as the Turks showed a perfect apathy in respect to the preservation of these remains, and indeed often wantonly destroyed them, Lord Elgin determined to remove as many as he could. In this way these noble remains of antiquity came into the possession of a British subject.

In 1811 an offer was made by Mr Perceval to purchase the whole collection for the nation, and the sum of £30,000 was named as the price which the government was willing to give; but Lord Elgin considered this an inadequate compensation for the outlay occasioned in procuring the collection, and declined the proposal. In 1812 eighty more cases of architecture and sculpture were added, and also a collection of medals.

In 1815, however, Lord Elgin presented a petition to the House of Commons, in which he offered to make over the collection to the nation, on such conditions as it might seem just and reasonable to that assembly to recommend. Accordingly a select committee was appointed to examine into the affair, and after due consideration, and the examination of many witnesses, the committee came to the resolution of recommending the house to offer £35,000 as a reasonable and sufficient price for this collection.

Thus were these noblest models which the genius of man has ever produced secured to the nation—an acquisition invaluable in itself, and the more to be appreciated when we consider that the cultivation of the fine arts has contributed to the reputation, character, and dignity of every government by which they have been encouraged, and that they are intimately connected with the advancement of everything that is valuable in science, in literature, and in philosophy. No country certainly is better adapted than our own to afford an honourable asylum to these monuments of the school of Phidias, and of the wise administration of Pericles.

Further particulars are contained in the Report from the Select Committee on Lord Elgin's Collection of Sculptured Marble, &c.; and in the Memorandum of the Earl of Elgin's Pursuits in Greece, 4to, 1810.