ELGIN MARBLES

A collection of ancient bas reliefs, statues, ., which were chiefly decorations of the Par the non at Athens, and are now deposited with some additions at the British Museum. Mr. Harrison, a northern architect of great abilities, suggested to Lord Elgin in 1797, at the period of his nomination to the emba y at Constantinople, the removal of these celebrated works. But it was not till some time after Lord Elgin's arrival that the ministers of the Porte were prevailed on to allow him to detach any portion of the marbles; and about eighty cases arrived in England in 1812. In 1816 the collection was purchased by government under a recommendation of a committee of the House of Commons at, if we rightly recollect, the sum of 35,000/. They are without question the finest productions of sculpture in the world. [s. 403]