With this necessarily brief account of the rise and progress of the British Museum, we return now to the immediate subject of these memoirs.
In the previous chapter reference has been made to Panizzi’s dislike to the appellation of “_foreigner_” a dislike, which, indeed, he always entertained.
The act of naturalization took place scarcely one year after he became a servant of the Trustees of the British Museum. It bears the date of March 24th, 1832, and was, as might be expected, a source of great satisfaction to him.
It has already been noticed that the National Institution had previously enrolled amongst its increasing staff other _foreigners_, who all held important, if not responsible, appointments—viz., Dr. Maty, a Dutchman, and the very first Under-Librarian of the Department of Printed Books, afterwards Principal Librarian; Dr. Solander, a Swede, and Joseph Planta, a Swiss, besides Charles König, a German. Of these, strange to say, not one was naturalized. Panizzi was now an Englishman after his own heart, and his subsequent political career will amply testify to the pride he took in being so. His suitability for the appointment and the causes which led to his selection for so responsible an office, will be best understood from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s own statement before the Select Committee on the British Museum, which sat in 1836; but on this subject more will be said hereafter.
His answer (No. 5,511) to a question put to him was as follows:—
“Mr. Panizzi was entirely unknown to me, except by reputation; I understood that he was a civilian who had come from Italy, and that he was a man of great acquirements and talents, peculiarly well suited for the British Museum; that was represented to me by several persons who were not connected with the Museum, and it was strongly pressed by several Trustees of the Museum, who were of opinion that Mr. Panizzi’s appointment would prove very advantageous for the Institution; and considering the qualifications of that gentleman, his knowledge of foreign languages, his eminent ability and extensive attainments, I could not doubt the propriety of acceding to their wishes.”
The news of his appointment was first communicated to him on the 25th of April, 1831, by the Right Hon. Thomas Grenville.