12 ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



dated at Burgos, the 30th of December, era 1292, a.d. 1254, in which year, it is 

 added, "Edward, the eldest son and heir of Henry (the Third) King of England, 

 received knighthood from King Alfonso in Burgos." The numerous witnesses were, 

 no _ doubt, assembled to celebrate the marriage of Eleanor, the king's sister, with 

 Prince Edward of England, afterwards King Edward I. 



A collection of 2,469 casts of royal, ecclesiastical, municipal, and personal seals of 

 Scotland. 



Edward A. Bond. 



Oriental Manuscripts. 

 I. — Arrangement and Cataloguing. 



The Manuscripts acquired in 1875 have been entered into the Oriental Register and 

 the Classed Oriental Inventory. 



The Manuscripts acquired in 1876 have been entered into the Descriptive List of 

 Oriental Manuscripts, folio'd, labelled, and, with the exception of the latest purchases, 

 bound and placed on the shelves. 



Full descriptions have been prepared of 403 Manuscripts for the Persian Catalogue, 

 which is now completed, and of one Manuscript for the Arabic Catalogue. 



The Descriptions of Persian Manuscripts, not previously classed, have been arranged 

 by subjects, and, under each head, in chronological order. 



The first eight sections of the Persian Catalogue have undergone a final revision, and 

 the first three sheets of the same have been printed. 



Thirty-eight sheets (signed E — T T) of the Ethlopic Catalogue have been passed 

 through the press, and that work wants only the addition of the Preface and Indices to 

 be complete. 



Thirteen pages of Ethiopia Manuscripts have been selected for photographic re-pro- 

 duction, so as to form a chronological series of facsimiles, as an appendix to the same 

 catalogue. 



Thirty-four titles of Chinese Manuscripts have been written for the Chinese Catalogue. 



II . — A cquisitions. 



Thirty-seven Manuscripts have been added during the year to the Oriental Collection ; 

 viz., 33 by purchase and four by donation, as follows : — 



Arabic ---------12 



Persian - - - - - - - - -10 



Hebrew __--____3 



Armenian --------3 



Sanscrit __----__2 



■ Cingalese - -,- - - - - - 2 



Prakrit --1 



Pali 1 



Malcyalem --------1 



Chinese ___---- 1 



Japanese -------- 1 



Total - - 37 



The most remarkable are the following : — 



The Shahnameh, with miniatures, dated a.h. 841, a.d. 1438. This is the earliest and 

 most valuable of five copies lately belonging to the learned translator of Firdausi, M. 

 Jules Mohl, who gives a notice of it in his preface. It contains a curious appendix by 

 the poet relating to a hitherto unknown incident in his life. 



A Japanese album containing portraits of thirty-six personages of the Mikado's Court, 

 with their autographs, 



A copy of the Coran of exceptional size, beautifully written, and richly illuminated, 

 apparently in the 14th century. 



Kufic fragments of the Coran, written on vellum, probably in the 8th and 9th centuries, 

 bound in five volumes. 



A Coran in the Maghribi character, with rich illuminated borders; dated a.h. 975 

 Ca.b. 1568). 



Masharik al- Anwar, a collection of the traditional sayings of Muhammad; Arabic. 

 Dated a.h. 772 (a.d. 1371). 



Barnamaj, 



