Birds. 155 



Aftei" the date of Latham's " Synopsis," the Trustees began 

 to issue descriptive guides to the collections under their 

 chai'ge. 



A " Synopsis of the Contents of the British Museum " was 

 published as a sort of guide-book to the collections ; it was 

 printed by Cox and Baylis, of 75, Great Queen Street, but 

 appears to have been an official publication of the Trustees. 

 Many editions wei'e issued, of which the one printed in 1808 

 is the earliest which we possess in the Genei'al Library of the 

 Natural History Museum. 



This little ' ' Synopsis " tells how Sir Hans Sloane's Museum 

 and Library (which, he says in his will, had cost him £50,000) 

 were offered, at his death in 1753, to the British Government, 

 who had the first refusal of the collections, for £20,000. An 

 Act of Parliament was passed in that year sanctioning the 

 purchase, and vesting the property of the Museum in Trustees, 

 for the use of the public. A table of contents of the Sloane 

 Museum, given in this little work, is intended to afford some 

 idea of the extent of the purchase, but the exact numbers 

 are not absolutely guaranteed. There were, however, stated to 

 be 50,000 volumes of books, MSS., and prints, and 23,000 coins 

 and medals; the "Quadrupeds and their parts," 8186; the 

 " Birds and their parts, eggs and nests," 1172, etc. 



In addition to the Cottonian Library, and other purchases 

 and bequests, the Harleian Manuscripts were also bought, the 

 Trustees assuming the management of these priceless treasures of 

 the nation, and the title of the British Museum was bestowed 

 upon the National Collection, while a Lottery was authorised by 

 Parliament, in order to raise the funds for their recent purchases, 

 to secure a home for the collections, and to provide for the 

 permanent support of the establishment. £95,194 8s. ^d. was 

 the sum brought in by the Lottery. 



The history of the Museum, as given in the "Synopsis," is 

 continued : — 



" The first act of these Trustees was to provide a proper 

 building for the reception of the ample collections confided to 

 their care ; and after various proposals, they at length fixed upon 

 the noble mansion, built about the year 1680 by Ralph, first 

 Duke of Montague, who, being at that time Ambassador at 

 Paris, sent over French artists for erecting and adorning the 

 edifice he had in contemplation. This palace, together with its 



