Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 8, DIA-England

668 E L G
Elgin fortification. It is said to have been used as a hunting
^Marbles. seatby one of the Malcolms. The ruins show that it was
built of stone and run lime, as used in early ages, and that
the walls must have been of considerable thickness.
The trade of this town is at present not very consider¬
able. A flourishing woollen manufactory has been carried on
for many years, and employs fifty hands, chiefly in making
blankets, plaiding, shawls, and drugget. There are like¬
wise tan-works; and the glovers and sutors of Elgin were
in former times famous for their extensive dealings at
markets. Shoemakers are still a numerous body, and ma¬
nufacture largely for the markets, which are held weekly
on Fridays, and monthly on Tuesdays, the latter being
for cattle and horses. The want of a good harbour at
Lossiemouth, which is five miles distant, has long been a
drawback to the increase of trade ; but measures are now
in progress to construct a new harbour, which, if success¬
ful, will give a great facility to the merchants in getting
their goods directly from London, and to the farmers and
corn-merchants in shipping grain, from twenty to thirty
thousand bolls of which are exported from Morayshire
annually. There is a literary association, combining the
formation of a library with a public news-room, to which
there are numerous subscribers ; and a circulating library,
established forty years ago by Mr Forsyth, and still suc¬
cessfully carried on by Forsyth and Young. There is also
a mechanics’ library, and one belonging to the academy, all
highly useful establishments ; and there is a weekly news¬
paper, the Elgin Courier, which has been published for
five or six years.
Of benevolent institutions, several highly useful ones
may be enumerated. A savings bank was instituted some
years ago, and has been found to answer admirably. An
excellent institution for female industry was lately formed,
and has been found of great utility. Besides the Esta¬
blished Church, there is a Scotch Episcopal, an Anti¬
burgher, and two Relief Chapels, with a few Roman Ca¬
tholics. The improvements recently carried on in this
town are numerous and considerable. A joint-stock com¬
pany for lighting the streets and houses of the town with
gas was formed about three years ago. Of late years se¬
veral handsome new streets have been built, and on the
south and west sides of the town many handsome villas
and cottages have also been erected.
The town of Elgin is undoubtedly very ancient. By
some historians its name is said to have been derived
from Helgy, a Norwegian chief, who in the ninth century
overran Morayshire. Other accounts derive it from the
Saxon Hely, or Holy, and Dun, a hill. At the present
time, perhaps, there are few towns in Scotland which
possess equal attractions as a place of residence.
ELGINSHIRE, or Morayshire. See Morayshire.
ELGIN MARBLES is the name applied to that noble
collection of sculptured figures which was acquired by
the British Museum from Lord Elgin. They are mostly
basso relievos and fragments of statuary which had adorn¬
ed the Parthenon at Athens. The history of this collec¬
tion 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 course
. of conversation, that though the public possessed every
thing 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, struck with the truth of this observation, entered
into communication with government on the subject; but
the important transactions in which the nation was then
engaged prevented ministers from undertaking an expense
of so indefinite a nature. When Lord Elgin met Sir Wil-
E L G
liam Hamilton in Sicily, he entered with him into a more Eljjin
minute examination of the feasibility of the scheme, and Marblei
they considered the best plan to be pursued in order to en-
sure success. 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, who was then in the service of that monarch;
whilst he dispatched Mr Hamilton to Rome, in order to
engage two architects, two modellers, and a figure painter.
In the summer of 1800 these persons reached Athens in
safety. At this period the French were in possession of
Egypt, and the Turks felt little inclined to afford any fa¬
cilities towards furthering the object which Lord Elgin
had in view. They in fact did every thing to thwart him,
and his artists could only obtain admission to the Acropo¬
lis, for the purpose of taking drawings, on the payment of
a large daily fee. No sooner, however, did our arms prove
victorious in Egypt, than a sudden and favourable change
took place, dhe 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, firmans 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 excava¬
tions, and take away any stones that might appear interest¬
ing to him.” There was little difficulty after this per¬
mission 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 his means
and the opportunity would allow. In this way did these
noble remains of antiquity come into the possession of a
British subject.
In 1811 an offer was made by Mr Percival to purchase
the whole collection for the public, and the sum of
L.30,000 was named as the price which the government
was willing to give; but Lord Elgin thought this an in¬
adequate compensation for the outlay occasioned in pro¬
curing the collection, and refused to listen to the propo¬
sal. In 1812 eighty more cases of architecture and sculp¬
ture 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 re¬
commend. Accordingly a select committee was appoint¬
ed 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
L.35,000 as a reasonable and sufficient price for this col¬
lection.
There can be no doubt that the House of Commons
acted wisely in acceding to this preposition, and securing
for the nation these noblest models which the genius of
man has ever produced, knowing, as we do, how highly
the cultivation of the fine arts has contributed to the
reputation, character, and dignity of every government
by which they have been encouraged, and how intimately
they are connected with the advancement of every thing
valuable in science, literature, and philosophy. No coun¬
try is certainly 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.
For further information, consult the Report from the
Select Committee on Lord Elgin's Collection of Sculptured
Marble, Sj-c.; also the Memorandum of the Earl of Elgin s
Pursuits in Greece, 4to, 1810. For an account of these
marbles, see Parthenon.