Yet one more case of ignorance and prejudice--which occurred in the House of Commons, on March 25th, when the report of the Committee of Supply was brought up. On the question that the House do agree with the Committee in the resolution that a sum not exceeding £16,884 be granted to his Majesty for the expenses of the establishment of the British Museum-- "Mr. Cobbett rose to object to the resolution. He saw no reason why the sum of £16,000 should be paid out of the general taxes of the country for the sake of supporting the British Museum. In former times, when Mr. Bankes superintended the expenditure of the British Museum, the grant to it did not exceed £10,000. Then he thought the grant unjust, and now he could not imagine why, in the present distressed condition of the country, it should be raised to £16,000: for when was the British Museum of the slightest use to the country at large? Last year there was £1000 paid for a collection of insects; what use could that collection be of to the weavers of Lancashire, or to the farmers and tradesmen of distant parts of the country? The plain fact was that the British Museum was of no use at all! It was a place to which curious persons went to entertain themselves, by gratifying their curiosity, and in which the rich were accustomed to lounge away their time at the expense of their poorer countrymen. For his own part, he did not know where the British Museum was (much laughter), and was not acquainted with its contents. He thought that this sum of £16,000, granted by the Committee, was just £16,000 thrown away for the gratification of a set of loungers, who had first taken care to get enough out of the taxes to enable them to lounge away the rest of their lives in complete idleness. He also objected to this grant because there was £10,000 of it, and more, paid away in salaries, and to whom? If a list of the parties to whom those salaries were paid were laid upon the table of the House--and he would undertake to say that it should shortly be laid there--it would be found that they were paid away to the aristocracy and their dependents. He would move for a list of those who received them." (Several voices: "The list is published already.") "Who, he should like to know, were the maids who swept out the rooms of the British Museum? Doubtless they were the daughters of the head officers of the establishment. He would say that a more scandalous job than this grant never disgraced this Government, and that was saying a great deal. (Laughter.) He should conclude by moving that this report be recommitted." Of course no one was on his side, and the grant was passed.