Holding(s) in Company

Merrill Lynch Br. SmallerCo Tst PLC
14 April 2005

                                  SCHEDULE 10

                   NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1) Name of company:

Merrill Lynch British Smaller Companies Trust plc

2) Name of shareholder having a major interest:

Legal & General Investment Management Limited

3) Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of
holding of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a
non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18:

Non-Beneficial

4) Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the
number of shares held by each of them:

HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 914945     23,964
HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 775245    210,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 357206  2,005,542
HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 747381    100,224
HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 866203     79,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominees (UK) Ltd A/C 360509    100,577

5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired:

N/A

6) Percentage of issued class:

N/A

7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed since last notification:

455,500

8) Percentage of issued class:

0.9%

9) Class of security:

Ordinary shares of 25p each

10) Date of transaction:

13 April 2005

11) Date company informed:

14 April 2005

12) Total holding following this notification:

2,519,307

13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification:

4.98%

14) Any additional information:

N/A

15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries:

Ms C Driscoll- 020 7743 2427

16) Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for
making this notification:

Ms C Driscoll
For Merrill Lynch Investment Managers Group Services Limited
Secretary

17) Date of notification:

14 April 2005


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