GENERAL PROGRESS AT THE MUSEUM. 15 



Inscriptions has been re-arranged, and a small hand-book to it 

 prepared. The Phigaleian Room and the Gold Ornament Room 

 have also been taken in hand. The Brahman Room has been 

 completed, and the Baddhist Room nearly so, and progress made 

 with the Asiatic Saloon and the Glass and China Gallery in the 

 King Edward VII. 's Galleries. All work of this kind was much 

 delayed through the difficulty of obtaining labour or furniture, and 

 was ultimately entirely suspended on account of the measures, above 

 referred to, for the greater protection of the collections against air 

 attack. 



The number of separate objects incorporated in the several 

 Departments during 1917 is as follows : — 



Printed Books : 



Books and Pamphlets - _ _ _ . 18,947 



Serials and Parts of Volumes _ _ - _ 52,155 



Maps and Atlases ------ 939 



Music - - - - - - - - 8,421 



Newspapers (single numbers) - - - _ 271,580 



Miscellaneous ------- 3,763 



Manuscripts and Seals - - - - - - 1,989 



Oriental Printed Books and MSS. - - - - 1,971 



Prints and Drawings ----__ 5,172 



(Oriental) - - - - 106 



Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities - - - - 51 



Greek and Roman Antiquities _ - - _ 18 



British and Medieeval Antiquities - - - - 930 



Coins and Medals -_-___ 1,861 



Total ----- 367,903 



In consequence of the shortage of paper, it has been thought 

 right this year to omit the usual departmental reports of accessions. 

 The necessity of omitting these reports is the more regrettable, since 

 it involves the omission of a public recognition and record of many 

 generous gifts to the national collections. It would also be unfor- 

 tunate, for the purposes of future reference, if the completeness of 

 the record of the more important accessions to the Museum were to 

 be broken. It is accordingly intended that the detailed reports 

 shall eventually be issued in full in the first Annual Report after 

 the restoration of normal conditions. 



MeaiiAvhile brief reference must be made to a few of the most 

 important additions made to the collections in the course of 1917. 

 Foremost among them stand three benefactions, of special size and 

 importance, namely the papers of Sir Robert Peel, presented by the 

 Hon. George Peel, the Zouche manuscripts, bequeathed by the late 

 Baroness Zouche, and the splendid collection of engravings pre- 

 sented by I^ady Lacas. In the Department of Antiquities special 

 mention may be made of the famous Orestes vase from the Deepdene 

 collection, towards the purchase of which a generous contribution 

 was made by the National Art-Collections Fund ; a remarkable 



