32 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



II. — A cquisitions. 



The MSS. acquired in 1890 were 105 in number, viz., 1 by- 

 donation and 104 by purchase, as follows : — 



Syriac and Carshunic - - - 48 



Persian - - - - - - 15 



Hebrew ------ 10 



Pali ------- 9 



Turkish ------ 8 



Arabic ------ Q 



Cingalese ------ 5 



Coptic ------ 1 



Hindustani ----- i 



Telugu ------ 1 



Chinese ------ l 



Total - - - 105 



A valuable acquisition of the year was a collection of Syriac 

 and Carshunic MSS. from Mossul, purchased of the widow of 

 Professor Wm. Wright. They belong to the literature of the 

 Nestorian Church, and include the following remarkable 

 items : — 



The Gospels, Acts, and Epistles, according to the Peshito 

 version, in a fine Nestorian character of the 13th century. 



Two fine copies of the " Prayer of the Ninevites," a 

 Nestorian Service-book of the 13th century. 



The metrical Discourses of Elias, Bishop of Anbar, of the 

 18th century. 



The fourth volume of the homilies of the Priest Emmanuel 

 on the Hexemeron, or Six Days of Creation, of the 16th 

 century. 



The works of Gregory Bar-Hebrteus, including a unique 

 copy of his metaphysical treatises ; eleven volumes. 



The Syriac and Arabic Lexicon of Bar Bahlul. 



Another important acquisition of the year consisted of 

 fourteen Turkish, Persian, and Arabic MSS., the select portion 

 of a collection formed in Turkey by Thomas Fiott Hughes, 

 Esq., late Oriental Secretary to Her Majesty's Embassy at 

 Constantinople. The most remarkable are the following : — 



Risalat al-Kushairi, the standard book of Sufism, Arabic, 

 A.H. 601 ; A.D. 1205. 



Akhlak i Nasiri, the Ethics of NasTr al-Din Tusi, Persian, 

 A.H. 680 ; A.D. 1201. 



Yusuf u Zulaikha, the classical poem of Jami ; a beautifully 

 written folio, with miniatures ; 16th century. 



The Diwan of the same poet, written by a calligrapher of 

 note, A H. 894 ; A.D. 1489. 



The Diwan of Mir Ali Shir Neva'i, in Eastern Turkish, 

 with miniatures ; 15th century. 



The 



