BRITISH MUSEUM V 



visitors has been the insertion of handrails flanking the Front Steps to the 

 Entrance. The Northern Galleries will, it is expected, begin to be restored 

 to public use early in 1937. 



The Northern half of the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery has been 

 re-arranged, projecting wings between the windows forming bays suitable 

 for the exhibition of sculptures in relief. 



Temporary Exhibitions. 



Apart from the exhibitions in each Department of recent acquisitions 

 a number of special temporary exhibitions of topical interest were, as 

 usual, arranged. These included Maps of the British Dominions and 

 Colonies, illustrating the growth of the British Empire during the past 

 three centuries, Avritings by and about Maimonides, to celebrate the 800th 

 anniversary of the Hebrew philosopher's birth, manuscripts and early 

 editions of Lope de Vega, for the tercentenary of his death, and Welsh 

 Poetry, especially in celebration of the poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, the date 

 of whose birth has been conjecturally fixed at 1335. 



In the Department of British and Medieval Antiquities a succession 

 of exhibitions of finds made during recent excavations were held at the 

 head of the Main Staircase. These included objects from Yorkshire 

 Long Barrows, the long barrow at Skendleby, Lines., excavated by Mr. 

 C. W. Philhps, the Fenland Research Association's excavations and the 

 finds of the Roman period from the site of the Bank of England. 



In the Department of Manuscripts some MS., generally of topical 

 interest, changed weekly, has been shewn in the Grenville Room, near 

 the Main Entrance Hall. In addition, the deaths of His late Majesty 

 King George V and Mr. Rudyard Kipling were marked by the temporary 

 exhibition of the King's " Message to his People " on recovery from 

 illness in 1929, and of the autographs of " Kim " and a volume of Kipling's 

 poems. 



The Codex Sinaiticus has been bound and is on exhibition, together 

 with the Codex Alexandrinus, in a special fireproof show-case, presented 

 by the Chatwood Safe Co. Ltd. 



Representation at Congresses. 



Dr. H. J. Plenderleith represented the Trustees at the 46th Annual 

 Conference of the Museums Association at Brussels, and, with Mr. Basil 

 Gray, at the Persian Congress and Exhibition at Leningrad ; Mr. R. L. 

 Hobson visited China and Japan as a member of the Chinese Exhibition 

 Committee ; the Museum was represented by Dr. H. Thomas and Mr. A. 

 Esdaile at the Second International Congress of Libraries and Bibliography 

 at Madrid and Barcelona ; by Dr. H. I. Bell at the International Congress 

 of Papyrology at Florence ; Mr. T. D. Kendrick delivered the Rask Orsted 

 Lectures at Copenhagen, and Dr. R. Flower the Lowell Lectures at 

 Boston, U.S.A. 



Acquisitio7is . 



The total number of objects added to the collections in 1935 was 

 413,338, more by 21,769 than in 1934, and by 3,959 than in 1933. 



