GENERAL PROGRESS AT THE MUSEUM. 15 



sented by Mrs. Gillum) and by J. M. Swan (presented by the 

 Swan Memorial Fund) were exhibited on screens in the King's 

 Library. 



A new departure was made during the year by the engage- 

 ment of an Official Guide to conduct parties round the Museum 

 and to point out and explain the most interesting objects. The 

 experiment was tried provisionally for the six months from 

 May to October, and, having proved very successful, was 

 placed on a permanent footing in December. The Guide makes 

 two regular tours each day, taking different parts of the 

 Museum in accordance with a printed time-table ; and he is 

 also at liberty to take round special parties by arrangement at 

 other hours. No charge is made to the public in either case. 

 It is impossible to give exact figures of the number of persons 

 accompanying the Guide, since the parties usually grow during 

 the progress of the lecture ; but it was estimated that not less 

 than 9,000 persons availed themselves of his services during 

 the six months of the provisional institution of the service. 

 There is ample evidence to show that the public greatly 

 appreciate the assistance thus given to them. 



During the year excavations were conducted on behalf of 

 the Museum at Jerablus, on the Euphrates, the site of the 

 ancient Hittite town of Carchemish. Sculptures and inscrip- 

 tions of considerable interest were found, together with a large 

 amount of pottery, which will be of great assistance in fixing 

 the dates of other Hittite sites. The excavations, which 

 promise to be of considerable importance for ancient history, 

 will be continued in 1912. 



The number of separate objects incorporated in the collec- 

 tions of the several Departments during the year 1911 is as 

 follows :— 



Department of Printed Books : 



Books and Pamphlets _ _ - - 28,022 



Serials and Parts of Volumes _ - _ 70,309 



Maps and Atlases ----- 2,005 



Music ------ 11,272 



Newspapers (single numbers) _ _ - 247,116 



Miscellaneous ----- 4,214 



Manuscripts and Seals - _ - . 1,512 



Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts - - 2,388 



Prints and Drawings - - _ - 2,890 



Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities - - 1,740 



Greek and Roman Antiquities _ - . 155 



British and Mediaeval Antiquities - - 3,213 



Coins and Medals ----- 4,458 



Total - - - - 379,294 



The principal additions to the collections are described, 

 below in the detailed reports of the several Departments ; but 

 some of the more important may be selected for special mention 

 here. 



