28 ON NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS.
it flourished as one of the sights of London. An American
naturalist, C. W. Poole, describing a visit to London in 1800,
says :—"The trouble to obtain a sight of the British Museum
renders it of less value to the public than a private collection
belonging to Mr. Parkinson, called the Leverian Museum."
Eventually, however, the popularity of this museum declined,
and in 1806 it was sold by auction—the sale extending over 65
days, and including 7,819 lots. The Rotunda was afterwards
used for some time as a scientific institution.
Another metropolitan museum, well known in the early part
of the last century, was Bullock's Museum, which had the
advantage over Lever's of a more central situation, and a smaller
admission fee. William Bullock was originally a silversmith and
jeweller in Lord Street, Liverpool, where he opened, in 1801, a
Museum of Natural and Artificial Curiosities, which he described
as "comprising upwards of 800 objects." The admission to this
modest collection was 1s., or by an annual ticket costing 10s. 6d.
After removing his collection to other premises in Liverpool, he
brought it, in 1809, to London, and exhibited it at No. 22,
Piccadilly, at first under the name of "the Liverpool Museum."
By this time the original 800 specimens had increased to 7,000,
described as "Natural and Foreign Curiosities, Antiquities, and
Products of the Fine Arts," which had cost the owner
£20,000. Its popularity was so great that Bullock was led
to build for its reception the Egyptian Hall. This remarkable
building, now about to be pulled down, was erected in 1812, from
the designs of Mr. P. F. Robinson, at a cost of £30,000. When
transferred to the "Egyptian Gallery" the collection became
known as the "London Museum," and was described by the
owner, in his. guide book, as consisting of upwards of 15,000
specimens "collected during 20 years of unwearied application,
and at an expense exceeding £30,000." Mr. Bullock refers to
his museum as "an Establishment for the Advancement of the
Science of Natural History, which in magnitude and expense,
he presumes, is unparalleled as the work of an individual."30
In 1819, Bullock's collection was brought to the hammer, the
sale including 3,331 lots, extending over 26 days, and realizing
about £12,000. After the sale, Bullock went to Mexico, and
35 "A Companion to the London Museum and Pantherion, containing a brief description
of upwards of 15,000 natural and foreign curiosities, antiquities, and productions of fine
arts ; now open for public inspection at the Egyptian Temple, Piccadilly, London." By
William Bullock.