39 



THE MUSEUMS. 



The Director of Museums furnishes the Forty-Eighth Annual 

 Report upon the conduct and progress of the Museums. 



I. — General. 

 The Free Public Museums comprise: — 



(A) the Derby Museum, of which the nucleus was the collections 

 bequeathed in 1851 to the City, by the Thirteenth Earl of Derby. It 

 contains the British Collection*, and the general Zoological, Geological, 

 Mincralor/ical, and Botanical Departments, besides which there is an 

 Aquarium, containing both Fresh and Salt Water Animals. 



(B) the Mayek Museum, the larger part of which was collected 

 mimI presented to the Corporation in 18(J7, by Joseph Mayer, Esq., 

 F.S.A. These collections are specially rich in (a) Egyptian, 

 Babylonian, and Assyrian Antiquities: {!>) Mediaeval European Iruries, 

 J>ron:<s and Illuminated Manuscripts; (c) the unrivalled Brian- 

 Fausseti Anglo-Saxon Collection ; (d) the Mather Miniatures ; and (e) 

 the very important Potter// ( 'ollections, conspicuously rich in Wedgwood 

 and < )ld Liverpool Wares. Associated with this Museum, as belonging 

 more nearly to the subjects illustrated by it, though not forming to 

 any large extent part of the Mayer Bequest, are (/) the Ethnographical 

 Collections, chiefly of barbaric races. 



The building, in which these collections are housed, was erected 

 at the cost of the late Sir William Brown, in October, 1860. 



The Exhibition Galleries are open free to the public, as under: — 



I )ming January, November, and December .. from 10 to 4 



February „ 10 to 4-30 



March and October ,, 10 to 5 



„ April to September ... ... 10 to 



Also on Monday Evenings during January toi 



March, and October to December ... [ " 7 to 10 



