Could this be next move in saga of Lewis Chessmen?

Published on Sunday 30 December 2007 20:37

As a history graduate, I was interested to read Robert McNeil's column (28 December) criticising the British Museum for keeping the Lewis Chessmen. What concerns me is that he does not ask the same questions of the excellent National Museum of Scotland and the associated Royal Museum of Scotland.

Because the people of Scotland have come from all the four corners of the world, had a leading role in discovering new nations and, ultimately, by emigration, helped make new continents, a visit to the corridors of the museum will result in seeing Egyptian, Oriental and other international artefacts, so much so that a full day tour would be similar to a mini world cruise.

The picture is similar in many other museums throughout Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. I would be interested to hear the views of readers of The Scotsman as to how this might be resolved without reducing the interest in tourism these collections can generate.

KEVIN HUTCHENS, Woodview Court, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

The case of the Lewis Chessmen is interesting – is it "righting an old wrong" or is it another front in the Edinburgh- versus-London wars increasingly prevalent thanks to our minority administration in Edinburgh? Sadly, I suspect it is the latter.

WILLIAM BALLANTINE, Dean Road, Bo'ness, West Lothian