The parish is largely composed of squares, containing three large and two small ones, from which nearly all the streets radiate. The British Museum forms an imposing block in the centre. This is on the site of Montague House, built for the first Baron Montague, and burnt to the ground in 1686. It was rebuilt again in great magnificence, with painted ceilings, according to the taste of the time, and Lord Montague, then Duke of Montague, died in it in 1709. The house and gardens occupied seven acres. The son and heir of the first Duke built for himself a mansion at Whitehall (see _Westminster_, same series, p. 83), and Montague House was taken down in 1845, when the present buildings of the Museum were raised in its stead. The Museum has rather a curious history. Like many of our national institutions, it was the result of chance, and not of a detailed scheme. In 1753 Sir Hans Sloane, whose name is associated so strongly with Chelsea, died, and left a splendid collection comprising "books, drawings, manuscripts, prints, medals, seals, cameos, precious stones, rare vessels, mathematical instruments, and pictures," which had cost him something like L50,000. By his will Parliament was to have the first refusal of this collection for L20,000. Though it was in the reign of the needy George II., the sum was voted, and by the same Act was bought the Harleian collection of MSS. to add to it; to this was added the Cottonian Library of MSS., and the nation had a ready-made collection. The money to pay for the Sloane and Harleian collections was raised by an easy method of which modern morals do not approve--that is to say, by lottery. Many suggestions were made as to the housing of this national collection. Buckingham House, now Buckingham Palace, was spoken of, also the old Palace Yard; of course, the modern Houses of Parliament were not then built. Eventually Montague House was bought, and the Museum was opened to the public in 1757. However, it had not ceased growing. George III. presented some antiquities, which necessitated the opening of a new department; to these were added the Hamilton and Townley antiquities by purchase, and in 1816 the Elgin Marbles were taken in temporarily. On the death of George III., George IV. presented his splendid library, known as the King's Library, to the Museum, not from any motive of generosity, but because he did not in the least appreciate it. Greville, in his Journal (1823), says: "The King had even a design of selling the library collected by the late King, but this he was obliged to abandon, for the Ministers and the Royal Family must have interposed to oppose so scandalous a transaction. It was therefore presented to the British Museum." It then became necessary to pull down Montague House and build a Museum worthy of the treasures to be enshrined. Sir Robert Smirke was the architect, and the present massive edifice is from his designs. The buildings cost more than L800,000.