401 



BRITISH MUSEUM, THE. 



BRITISH MUSEUM, THE. 



402 



for examining the minerals by those chemical, crystallographic and 

 optical methods, which in the present advanced state of mineralogy, 

 are indispensable for their exact discrimination. Until there is a 

 proper room for chemical, as well as one for crystallographic and 

 optical researches, the arrangement of the minerals can only be 

 provisional." 



Botany. The present extensive collection of dried plants, and other 

 botanical specimens in the British Museum, had its origin in the col- 

 lection of herbaria, formed from time to time by Sir Hans Sloane 

 during his long life ; or at least from the year 1687, when he went out 

 to Jamaica as physician to the Duke of Albemarle, his chief induce- 

 ment being the opportunity that it woxild afford him of studying his 

 favourite science. In fifteen months' time he returned to England, 

 bringing with him a collection of 800 species of West India plants, and 

 thus laid the foundation of what was afterwards to become a highly 

 valuable and extensive collection. 



The Sloanean herbaria are contained in 336 volumes, bound in 262, 

 and consist of Sir Hans Sloane's collections made by himself in Jamaica 

 and elsewhere, and of various others presented to or purchased by him. 

 Of the latter the most considerable are those of Plukenet and Petiver. 

 Among them there are also large collections made by the Duchess of 

 Beaufort, Kiggalaer, Buddie, Uvedale, and Hawkins ; together with 

 numerous smaller ones obtained from many of the principal botanists 

 and travellers of the day. The most interesting are from the collec- 

 tions of Merret, Cunningham, Hermann, Bobart, Bernard de Jussieu, 

 Tournefort, Scheuchzer, Kamel, Vaillant, Kaempfer, Catesby, Houston, 

 and Boerhaave, with the plants presented to the Royal Society by the 

 Company of Apothecaries, in pursuance of the directions of Sir Hans 

 Sloane, for the years 1722-1796. These formed the rent which the 

 Apothecaries' Company paid for the Botanic Garden at Chelsea. The 

 seeds and fruits of Sir Hans Sloane's collection are also extensive and 

 well preserved. 



The herbarium of the Baron von Moll, of Munich, in 48 portfolios, 

 was added to the botany of the British Museum in 1815 ; after which 

 time nothing of importance was received until the acquisition of the 

 Banksian collection in 1827. 



The Herbarium of Sir Joseph Banks, of which the larger and 

 arranged portion is contained in cabinets, comprises upwards of 30,000 

 species. It consists of 3k Joseph's own collections, made during his 

 voyage with Captain Cook ; of the Herbaria of Cliffort, Hermann, 

 Clayton, Aublet, Miller, and Jacquin ; with many of the plants col- 

 lected by Tournefort, and described in his ' CoroUarium." Aublet's 

 plants were from French Guiana ; the collections of Cliffort and Her- 

 mann were those from which Linnaeus formed his ' Hortus Cliffortianus ' 

 and ' Flora Zeylanica.' Clayton's Herbarium was that from which 

 Gronovius formed his ' Flora Virginica." It comprises also the plants 

 collected in the various voyages of discovery subsequent to Sir Joseph 

 Banks's own, with the contributions of numerous travellers ; and a 

 collection of plants sent by Loureiro from Cochin China. The Bauksian 

 collection alone formed at one time the most valuable assemblage of 

 dried plants in Europe, and is still one of the most important, not only 

 on account of its extent, but as containing the original and authentic 

 specimens of many published species. A collection of flowers and 

 fruits, chiefly of the more rare or succulent plants, preserved in spirits, 

 also form a part of the Banksian department, to the number of upwards 

 of 300 bottles, with a collection of seeds and fruits in a dried state. 

 After the arrival of Sir Joseph Banks's collection, an extensive series 

 of plants was presented by the East India Company, formed and dis- 

 tributed by Dr. Wallich ; and another collection of Egyptian plants 

 was presented by Sir J. O. Wilkinson. Numerous additions have been 

 made during the last twenty years, partly by donation and partly by 

 purchase. Among these may be mentioned, a collection of the plants 

 of the East, formed by Aucher-Eloy ; of the plants of Greece, by 

 Heldreich ; of Persia, by Kotschy ; of Siberia, by Karelin and Kirilow ; 

 of India, by Drs. Hooker and Thomson ; of China, by Fortune ; of the 

 Philippine Islands, by Cuming ; of Java, by Dr. Horsfield ; of New 

 Hnlland, by Drummond and others; of New Zealand, by Dr. Hooker; 

 of Western Africa, by Don and others; of Southern Africa, by Zeyher 

 and Burke ; of North America, by Richardson and others ; of California, 

 by Douglas ; of Texas and Mexico, by Wright and Fendler ; and of 

 Brazil, by Gardner and Spruce. 



The additions obtained from these various sources make the entire 

 number of species amount to about 60,000, sufficient to entitle the 

 Museum collection to rank among the finest in the world. 



Previously to December, 1858, no part of this collection was exhibited 

 to the general public. Two rooms however are now appropriated to 

 the purpose, contiguous to the zoological collection, on the upper story. 

 Only* one of these, the " first room," is as yet completely fitted up. It 

 comprises many interesting objects, especially "a trunk of Aliophila 

 Brunonia,45 feet in height, from the mountains of Sylhet; two trunks of 

 Alvrphila ftntami nang, from the Philippine Islands, with a section of the 

 same from New Guinea ; two lofty stems of the great New Zealand Fern 

 Tree, C'yathea Dealbala ,-and another fine species from New Zealand, 

 Cyatlua Meduliarii ; the tree-fern of the Cape of Good Hope, Hemilelia 

 Capentit ; and several specimens of Dickmnia Antarrtica, one of which 

 is remarkable for the bifurcation of its stem, and another for the 

 curious induration of its central pith." In the wall-cases are " speci- 

 if remarkable Cryptogamic structures, chiefly Ferns, but including 



ARTS AND SCI. DIV. VOL. I. 



also Alyce and Fiiiiyi ; " also " specimens of Palms, including portions 

 of stems and their sections, fronds, spathoe and spadices, and fruits." 

 There is also exhibited a curious selection of specimens, chiefly 

 fruits, preserved in spirit of wine or pyroligueous acid. " Cases 16, 

 17, and 18, which terminate the series of wall-cases, are devoted 

 to a collection of clay models of English Fungi, made by the late 

 Mr. James Sowerby, while engaged in the publication of his work on 

 that tribe of plants, and representing for the most part the identical 

 subjects depicted in it. The table-cases are chiefly occupied with 

 sections of woods '. some of these are what are called cabinet-woods, 

 " including nearly all those which are more or less frequently em- 

 ployed by the London cabinet-makers, and arranged alphabetically, 

 according to the names by which they are ordinarily known in the 

 trade." Other divisions embrace sections of woods from particular 

 countries, as Ceylon, New Holland, New Zealand, British Guiana, &c., 

 arranged in alphabetical order, according to the native names, with the 

 scientific names appended when known. Another division is that 

 embracing " specimens illustrative of diseases, wounds, or other 

 injuries of trees; of their reparation, either in whole or in part; of 

 the results of incisions made through the bark into the wood," &c., &c. 



The whole of the departments of the Museum have now been 

 noticed. Those which are open to the general public are open every 

 day in Easter, Whitsun, and Christmas weeks, and on Mondays, 

 Wednesdays, and Fridays in every other week, except the first week 

 of January, of May, and of September, during which the Museum is 

 closed. The hour of opening is ten, of closing four, in November, 

 December, January, and February ; five in March and April, September 

 and October ; six in May, June, July, and August. 



We shall now conclude with some notice of the official publications 

 of the Museum. A synopsis or guide to the different collections appears 

 to have been first issued by the establishment in 1808, and had gone 

 through sixty -three editions by the year 1856. This was edited by the 

 principal librarian, and the description of each department drawn up 

 by its keeper. It is stated in a notice signed by Mr. Panizzi, of the date 

 of January, 1859, that " a synopsis is in course of preparation, which will 

 give a fuller description of the collections visited by the public, will be 

 accompanied by scientific and literary notes, and illustrated by wood- 

 engravings." There are now sold in the Museum a ' Guide to the 

 Exhibition Rooms of the Departments of Natural History and Anti- 

 quities,' price 6d., and other " Guides,' ' one to the printed books, 

 one to the autographs and manuscripts, and one to the drawings and 

 prints exhibited in the show-cases, price one penny each. 



Of a different description are the volumes which are intended for 

 the use, not of visitors, but students. In the Printed Book Department 

 there are, passing over theobsolete catalogue of 1787, the ' Alphabetical 

 Catalogue of the Library of Printed Books,' by Sir H. Ellis and Rev. H. 

 H. Baber, 7 vols. 8vo, 1813-19 ; and the ' Alphabetical Catalogue of the 

 Printed Books,' by Mr. Panizzi, vol. i., folio, 1841, containing the letter 

 A only. To these must be added the alphabetical catalogue of the 

 King's Library by Sir F. Barnard, ' Bibliothecse Regi;e Catalogus," 5 

 vols. folio, 1820-29, which was never made an article of sale, but copies 

 of which have found their way to auctions, where they now sell for 

 about 12t, the 'Catalogue of the Geographical Collection, or Maps 

 and Drawings in the Library of King George III.,' 1 vol. folio, or 

 with the same types, 2 vols. 8vo, 1829; and the 'Bibliotheca Gren- 

 villiana,' or catalogue of the Grenville Library, 2 parts in 3 vols. 8vo, 

 1842-48. 



In the manuscript department, are, ' The Catalogue of the MSS. 

 of the King's, or Royal Library,' by David Casley, the under-librariau, 

 1 vol. 4to, 1784, that of the ' Cottoniau MSS.' by J. Planta (superseding 

 a previous one by T. Smith), published by the Commissioners of 

 Public Records, 1 vol. folio, 1802 ; that of the ' Harleian MSS,' by 

 Humphrey Wanley and the Rev. R. Nares, with a classified index, by 

 the Rev. T. H. Home, also superseding a previous catalogue, and also 

 published by the Commissioners of Public Records, 4 vols. folio, 1808 ; 

 that of the MSS. heretofore undescribed, that is, the ' Sloane and 

 Birch Manuscripts," by the Rev. S. Ayscough, 2 vols. 4to, 1782 ; 

 that of the Hargrave MSS., by Sir H. Ellis, 4to, 1818; that of the 

 Lansdowne MSS., by F. Douce and Sir H. Ellis, folio, 1819 ; of the 

 Arundel MSS., and of the Burney MSS. by Rev. J. Forshall, 2 parts 

 forming 1 vol. folio, 1834-40. Instead of printing the catalogues of 

 the additional MSS., after the conclusion of the Ayscough catalogue, 

 they have hitherto been left in manuscript, and an index only has 

 been printed; ' Index to additional MSS., acquired between 1783 and 

 1835,' by Rev. W. U. Richards and E. A. Bond, 1 vol. folio, 1849. 

 From this time onward there are printed lists of additional manuscripts, 

 one for 1836-40, and one for 1841-45, and written lists of the new 

 acquisitions are prepared for the use of the public in a few months 

 after their acquisition. A separate Oriental catalogue is in progress in 

 the Latin language, ' Catalogus Codicum manuscriptorum Orientalium," 

 of which part 1, containing the Syriac and Carshunic manuscripts pub- 

 lished in 1838, is by Dr. Roseu ; part 2, containing the Arabic, com- 

 menced by the Rev. W. Cureton, is now being continued by Mr. F. 

 Rieu, and part 3, containing the Ethiopic is by Dr. Dillman. There 

 is also a catalogue of the manuscript music by Mr. T. Oliphant, 1 vol. 

 8vo, 1842, and a catalogue of the ' Manuscript Maps, Charts, and Plans, 

 by Mr. J. Holmes, 2 vols. 1844. Part 1, of the ' Greek Papyri in the 

 British Museum' was published by the Rev. J. Forshall in 1839. 



D D 



