34 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



II. — Acquisitions. 



The number of MSS. acquired in 1891 was 384, viz., eight b}' 

 donation and 37G by purchase, as follows : — 



Arabic ------ 212 



Syriac ------ 55 



Chinese ------ 36 



Pushtu ------ 31 



Persian ------ 27 



Hebrew ------ 8 



Sanscrit ------ 5 



Pali ------- 4 



Turkish ------ 2 



Burmese ------ 1 



Cingalese ------ 1 



Japanese ------ 1 



Swahili ------ l 



Total - - - 384 



The following five important collections have been acquired 

 in the course of the year : — 



I. A collection of 6C Arabic MSS., formed in Cairo by 

 the late Edward William Lane, consisting chiefly of rare 

 lexicographical works, and including a copy in 24 large 

 quartos of the Taj al-'Arus, the principal source of Mr. Lane's 

 Arabic-English Lexicon. 



II. A collection of 205 Arabic and Syriac MSS., secured 

 for the Museum by Mr. E. A. Wallis Budge in El-Kosh, north 

 of Mossul and the neighbourhood, including an Arabic trans- 

 lation of the Chronicle of Michael the Great and copies of 

 rare works of Bar-Hebrseus. 



III. A large collection of Chinese MSS., formed by a 

 scholar who resided for many years in Peking, and consisting 

 of upwards of a thousand pamphlets containing plays, 

 popular songs, tales, and historical anecdotes. 



IV. A collection of 21 Afghan MSS., formed by Major 

 H. G. Raverty in Peshawur, and consisting of rare historical 

 and poetical works in the Pushtu language. 



V. A similar collection, formed in India by Professor 

 James Darmesteter, and including rare Diwans and historical 

 works. 



Among MSS. acquired from various quarters the most 

 valuable is a large vellum folio containing a considerable 

 portion of the Hebrew Pentateuch, written in a fine archaic 

 character of the tenth century, and consequently earlier by 

 about two centuries than any Hebrew MS. hitherto extant 

 in England. 



A valuable 



