BRITISH MUSEUM. 7 



into effect by administrative action ; others have to await either legis- 

 lative authorisation or the provision of funds ; but in general it may be 

 said that the reports of the Commission have been welcomed as showing 

 sympathy with the problems of the Museum and as likely to contribute, 

 if effect is given to them, to the improvement of its service. 



The total number of objects added to the collections in 1929 was 

 441,778, an increase of 12,976 on the figures for the previous year 

 entirely accounted for by an increase in periodicals and newspapers 

 counterbalancing a diminution in this item reported last year. 



The figures for the several Departments were as follows : — 

 Printed Books : 



Books and Pamphlets 34,322 



Serials and Parts of Volumes 101,497 



Maps and Atlases 1,223 



Music 9,980 



Newspapers (single numbers) ... ... ... 281,244 



Miscellaneous 2,657 



Manuscripts ... ... ... ... ... ... 350 



Oriental Printed Books and MSS 2,380 



Prints and Drawings ... ... ... ... 2,463 



Prints and Drawings (Oriental) 232 



Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities 748 



Greek and Roman Antiquities ... ... ... 80 



British and Mediaeval Antiquities ... ... 517 



Ceramics and Ethnography 852 



Coins and Medals 3,233 



441,778 



The most notable accessions were probably the remarkable set of 

 early Celtic bron:ie vessels (5th century B.C.) found in Lorraine and 

 purchased with the help of Lord Melchett, Mr. F. A. Szarvasy, Sir Perci- 

 val David, and other friends ; the Occasional Papers written by Dr. 

 Johnson in the name of and on behalf of the unfortunate Dr. Dodd, of 

 which the only known copy was identified by Mr. T. D Barlow and 

 bought with his help ; the unique MS. of a hitherto unknown English 

 mediaeval poem entitled Mum Sothsegger, bought with the assistance of 

 the Early English Text Society ; and the autograph manuscripts of 

 nearly the whole series of Mr. Galsworthy's Forsyte Chronicles, presented 

 by the author. 



The other principal accessions of each Department are enumerated 

 below. Attention may again be called to the fact that fuller descrip- 

 tions of these and other acquisitions of the Museum, often with illustra- 

 tions, are to be found in the British Museum Quarterly (2s. a number). 



The Department of Printed Books acquired, in addition to the 

 Johnson-Dodd volume, an unrecorded Missal of Salamanca, 1512 ; 

 the unique copy of the first edition of Lord Herbert of Cherbury's De 

 Veritate ; The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T. E. Lawrence, presented 



