102 President" s Address. 



show, but we know very little about its early beginnings^ as 

 no registers were kept or catalogues published. Its funds 

 were not considerable, and we learn from the ' Synopsis 

 of the contents of the British Museum,' published in 1808, 

 that in order to raise money for the purchase of collections 

 and for housing the latter, a lottery was projected, and 

 authorised by Parliament. It brought in the sum of 

 £95,194 8s. 9d. 



For £10,100 the splendid Montague House, with seven 

 acres of ground was purchased. " The necessary repairs 

 (which, the house having stood long empty, proved very 

 expensive) were immediately proceeded upon ; and the proper 

 book-cases and cabinets having been completed, and the col- 

 lections removed thither and properly distributed and 

 arranged, the Museum was at length opened for study and 

 public inspection, on the 15th of January, 1759." 



"Besides the £20,000 paid for the Sloanean, and the 

 £10,000 for the Harleian collections, and £10,100 for 

 Montague House, the sum of €28,663 15s. was laid out in 

 the purchase of £30,000 three per cent, reduced annuities, 

 and appropriated to the maintenance of the establishment ; 

 and the remaining £26,531 3s. 2d. raised by the lottery 

 scarcely sufficed to defray the expenses of repairs, cases, 

 furniture, removing the collections, and various other inci- 

 dental charge s . ' " 



Of the number of birds we gain some idea from the 

 ' General Synopsis ' of Latham, as already mentioned, and in 

 the same 'Synopsis of the Collections ' of 1808 we find that 

 the birds were arranged in Room XI. of the Upper Floor of 

 Montague House. They were "disposed, as far as con- 

 venience would admit, according to the Linnsean mode of 

 arrangement, viz., into six great divisions or orders, the 

 separations of which are marked by white lines between each. 

 Some birds, however, on account of the large size of the 

 cases in which they are contained, could not conveniently 

 be stationed in their j>roper orders, and are therefore dis- 

 posed on the upper part of the general divisions. 1 ' 



Particular attention was drawn tó a " young Hargil, or 

 Giant Crane, from India, which, when full grown, is by far 



